This report looks into the role medical care plays in the survivability of road accidents and, because the line between death and very serious injury is a fine one, it also considers the health data trends in severe casualties to see if they mirror the patterns of fatal casualties. Population data were also used to determine the effect of social factors for car occupant fatalities. The results indicated that the probability of surviving with a serious head injury is lower than for other injuries. Most fatally injured people had a head or chest injury. Ambulance journey times have not changed in 1996-2003 in the UK. Health care effectiveness has not changed.80% of deaths occur before admission to hospital. It is possible that the number of the most severe casualties is not reducing as rapidly as the number of the least severe. The disadvantaged in society had a higher fatality rate as vehicle occupants than the most affluent. (Author/publisher) This document may befound at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme5/fatalinhuries…
Abstract