Citation

Neuroth LM, Singichetti B, Harmon KJ, Waller AE, Naumann RB. Inj. Prev. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/ip-2023-045005

PMID

37857475

Abstract

Long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial and ethnic disparities in motor vehicle crash (MVC) injuries and death are poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize trends and investigate the heterogeneity of MVC-related disparities in North Carolina across several data sources. Crash reports, emergency department visit records, and death certificates from 2018 to 2021 were used to calculate monthly population-rates of MVC-related public health outcomes. We estimated trendlines using joinpoint regression and compared outcomes across racial and ethnic classifications. MVC and MVC-related injury rates declined in conjunction with NC's stay-at-home order, while rates of severe outcomes remained unimpacted. By December 2021 rates of MVC-related outcomes met or exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with the highest rates observed among non-Hispanic Black individuals. Racial and ethnic disparities in MVC-related outcomes remained prevalent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. These results highlight the importance of a holistic approach to traffic injury surveillance when assessing the impact of MVCs.

Language: en

Keywords

Epidemiology; Surveillance; COVID-19; Injury Diagnosis; Motor vehicle � Occupant