Most studies of substance abuse among injured crash victims have focused on vehicular occupants. This study compared demographic factors and toxicology test results (alcohol, cocaine, opiates, cannabis) in a large cohort of injured occupants and pedestrians admitted to a trauma center. Data were analyzed from a large clinical toxicology database from 1996 through 2000. There were 9,947 occupants and 1,547 pedestrians available for study. Alcohol and other drug testing rates were 98% and 47%, respectively, with no testing biases. Sixty-one percent of occupants and 73% of pedestrians were men (p<.01). Thirty-four percent of occupants were about 40 years compared with 39% of pedestrians (p<0.01). Compared with occupants, significantly higher percentages of pedestrians tested positive for alcohol (27% vs 20%, p<.01), cocaine (20% vs 9%, p<.01) and opiates (24% vs 18%, p<.01) There was no statistical difference in the percentage of pedestrians (13%) and occupants (15%) testing positive for cannabis. (Author/publisher) For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD Abstract No. E201067.
Samenvatting