A study was carried out in 1995-1999 to assess severity factors for truck drivers' crashes. The authors used data from the trauma registry of road crash victims of the Rhone region, France. Several descriptive characteristics of the victims (age, place of residence) and their crashes (place, time, antagonist, seatbelt wearing) were analysed. The injuries of 300 male truck drivers were described by body region, and their severity was measured by using the injury severity score comparing these drivers with 9,488 male car drivers (age: 18-67 years). Truck drivers were more seriously injured than car drivers; the odds ratio was 1.87 (95% confidence interval: 1.33, 2.63) for having an injury severity score of 9 or more. Limb and abdominal lesions were more frequent and more serious among truck drivers. The lack of seatbelt wearing by truck drivers was one of the factors that explained the particular severity of their injuries; the odds ratio, adjusted for seatbelt wearing, for truck drivers to be seriously injured was 1.04 (95% confidence interval: 0.73, 1.47) compared with car drivers. When all of the severity factors were taken into account, the risk was even lower, but not significantly so. (Author/publisher)
Abstract