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The interaction between the pedestrians, drivers, and vehicles involved in pedestrian trauma often receives less attention than motor vehicle occupant accidents. To better define these factors, records of 161 pedestrians admitted to two urban university hospitals were reviewed. There were 87 females and 74 males. Females were older, with a median age of 62 years, compared to 43 years for males. Alcohol was a factor in 39 (52%) males and ten (12%) females. The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 14.6, with injuries most commonly to the extremities in 135 (84%), external surfaces in 103 (64%), and the head and neck in 71 (44%). There were 18 deaths (11.2%) with a mean ISS of 40.3. Of the 143 survivors, 18 (12.5%) with a mean age of 68.4 years required placement in long-term care facilities. Elderly survivors also had longer hospital stays, consuming 51% of all hospital days. Driver information from the governmental universal automobile insurance agency was available for 134 accidents. Drivers failed to yield the right of way in 31 instances (23%). Fifteen (11%) were driving without due care and five (4%) at an unsafe speed. Nine (7%) had documented alcohol involvement. Forty drivers (30%) incurred a total of 50 traffic charges. Previous driving records were available for 109. Forty-six (42%) had been involved in two or more previous accidents and 40 (37%) had five or more previous citations for moving violations. Pedestrian action at road intersections was recorded in 75 accidents. Twelve (16%) were crossing against a signal light; the remainder at both signal controlled and uncontrolled intersections were rightfully occupying the intersection. It is concluded that female pedestrians were often older and that male pedestrians frequently had been drinking. Elderly pedestrian victims had a greater impact on the hospital care system. Many drivers had poor previous driving records and were not following the rules of the road at the time of the injury events. These findings may be useful in targeting specific groups for prevention programs.
Vestrup et al. (Thu,) studied this question.