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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine if emergency department (ED) visits due to motor vehicle accidents (MVA) are affected by patient demographics, national holidays, and days of the week.
Methodology: This was a retrospective, secondary database analysis research exploring the motor vehicle accident patterns in 2018 using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), which is a secondary database of the utilization of ambulatory care services in hospital EDs. The incidence of ED visits due to MVA were assessed as it relates to various patient demographics, which included age, sex, race, in addition to geographic region, national holidays, and days of the week.
Results: The study found that the incidence of MVA varies significantly by the time of the year, the days of the week, patient characteristics, and various holidays. Christmas (31.8%), Fridays (30.5%), Sundays (24.8%), Northeast region (36.2%), and the White population (48.9%) had the greatest number of MVA versus their comparable demographics. Males were affected in the majority of the cases (52.2%). One-third (34%) of the MVA were fatal.
Conclusions: Strict enforcement of roadside checks for impairment and speeding must be enforced during the periods and days of the week as identified in this study. MVA can be reduced by law enforcement during holidays that have high-risk of crashes. High-risk groups identified in this study should be encouraged to take defensive driving training. There should be more signs, lighting and enforcement during bad weather to enforce road safety. Adherence to driving rules, and promoting awareness amongst the vulnerable groups would reduce the MVA significantly resulting in reduced morbidity, mortality, and societal cost.
Language: en |