Citation

Zollinger TW, Vilardo FJ, Chan PW, McSwane DZ. J. Saf. Res. 1984; 15(2): 77-84.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the total medical care costs of individuals injured in motor vehicle crashes and in crashes where alcohol was involved. Crashes were studied that involved 2,728 vehicle occupants and 191 pedestrians with injuries as reported in 1979 by the National Accident Sampling System, a probability sample of all motor vehicle crashes occurring in the united States. Medical care costs were assigned by using Abbreviated Injury Scale codes in accordance with other published research. Determination of alcohol involvement was based on crash characteristics. Results indicate that 20.2 % of medical care costs for motor vehicle crash injuries may be due to crashes where alcohol was involved. It was estimated that alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes cost between $434 million and $483 million in medical care alone in the United States in 1979.