Motor vehicle traffic crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the United States, resulting in 33,687 deaths in 2010 (1). Pedestrian travel makes up 10.5% of all trips (i.e., any travel from one address to another) taken in the United States, and pedestrians represent 13% of all motor vehicle traffic-related deaths (1,2). To determine traffic-related pedestrian death rates by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, and urbanization level, CDC analyzed 2001—2010 data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). The results of that analysis indicated that the overall, annualized, age-adjusted traffic-related pedestrian death rate was 1.58 deaths per 100,000 population. Persons aged [older or] 75 years and those categorized as American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) had the highest death rates, and age group differences varied by race/ethnicity. The results suggest that the overall pedestrian death rate could increase with the aging and growing racial/ethnic diversity of the U.S. population. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the number of persons aged [older or] 75 years will more than double, from approximately 18 million in 2011 (6% of the U.S. population) to 44 million in 2040 (12% of the population); minority racial/ethnic populations are projected to increase from 116 million in 2010 (37% of the population) to 186 million in 2040 (49% of the population). Strategies to prevent pedestrian deaths should include consideration of the needs of older adults and cultural differences among racial/ethnic populations. NVSS data were accessed through CDC WONDER, which provides customized reports of mortality data, and information on other health outcomes and risk factors (e.g., birth data and sexually transmitted disease morbidity). NVSS collects death certificate data from vital statistics offices in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.§ Motor vehicle traffic-related pedestrian deaths were defined as any deaths for which the underlying cause recorded on death certificates was one of the following International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes: V02—V04 (.1,.9) or V09.2. Pedestrian deaths and annualized death rates per 100,000 population for the years 2001—2010 were examined by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, and urbanization level. Annualized death rates for sex, race/ethnicity, and urbanization level were age-adjusted to the 2000 standard U.S. population. Traffic-related pedestrian death counts less than 20 (and the associated rates) were not reported for racial/ethnic populations because of concerns regarding statistical reliability and data confidentiality. However, such counts were included in the statistics for all pedestrians combined. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting