Using linked motor vehicle crash, emergency medical services, hospital discharge, and death certificate records from the Maine CODES project, seat belt use and injury outcomes were evaluated. After adjusting for other crash variables and over-reporting of belt use the authors found that occupants (drivers and passengers) not belted were more likely to be injured in a motor vehicle crash (adjusted odds ratio 1.32, p <.001). Separated models run at different severity levels of injury indicated increasing risk when belts were not used; hospitalisation or death with a head injury had the highest risk (adjusted odds ratio 2.79, p<.001). The results were similar to previous estimated reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) using data from Maine and other CODES states. Trend data indicate that as belt use (based on observational study) has increased in Maine the number of hospitalisations from motor vehicle crashes has declined. Hospital charge data indicated that unbelted occupants had a higher mean charge ($15,076) than those belted ($11,950). (A)
Samenvatting