 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Stacey Knight, MStat, Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, University of Utah, 615 Arapeen Drive, Suite 202, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, 801.585.9157, stacey.knight@hsc.utah.edu
Objectives: Determine the prevalence of fatal motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) involving street-car racing and describe the characteristics of these crashes.
Methods: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data for the years 1998 to 2000 were used. A crash was defined as involving street-car racing when one or more drivers were coded as racing.
Results: There were 111,656 fatal MVCs reported in FARS; 199 (0.2%) involved street-car racing resulting in 259 (0.2%) deaths. The death rate per crash was 1.3 for street-car-racing MVCs compared to 1.1 for other fatal MVCs (p<0.05). Drivers involved in street-car-racing MVCs were 6.6 times more likely to be male (95% CI: 3.7, 11.8) and 5.7 times more likely to be young (15-20 years old) (95% CI: 4.4, 7.5) than other drivers. Drivers in street-car-racing MVCs had a higher percentage of previous crashes (p=0.04), license suspension (p=0.04), and speeding violations (p=0.009) than other drivers. While fewer street-car-racing MVCs occurred on roads with speed limits 65+ MPH compared to other fatal MVCs (8% vs 16%), street-car-racing drivers were more likely to be traveling 65+ MPH (35% vs. 10%; p<0.001). Alcohol involvement was reported for 31% of street-car-racing MVCs compared to 20% of other fatal MVCs (p<0.001). Thirty-three (14%) street-car-racing drivers were charged with manslaughter or homicide compared to 3% of other drivers in FARS (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Street-car-racing crashes often result in several deaths, involve young males with previous driving offenses, and can result in severe criminal charges. Graduated licensing programs and driver education courses should address street-car racing.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.