One method of isolating the age factor is to consider drivers in one type of accident and to keep other factors constant to as high a degree as possible. In this investigation, car drivers injured in single vehicle accidents on roads with 90 km/h outside built-up areas were selected, consideration being given to the year model of the car and its unladen weight. Those who follow the debate about traffic safety can easily form the impression that the elderly have a particularly high accident involvement. This is not the case. On the other hand, the elderly are injured both more often and more severely than younger people in traffic. This can be expressed by saying that the elderly are treated by the health service more often and for a longer period than younger people, and that they have a higher probability of dying as a result of their injuries than younger people. What is also striking is that the type of injury described by the health service - the main diagnosis - changes markedly with increasing age. Head injuries which predominate among the young decrease with age while injuries to the body increase with age. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting