Recorded presentation

Timothy Kerns, MS, National Study Center for Trauma and EMS, Univeristy of Maryland Baltimore, 701 West Pratt Street, Box 001, Baltimore, MD 21201, 410-328-4244, tkerns@som.umaryland.edu, Patricia C. Dischinger, PhD, University of Maryland, Baltimore, National Study Center for Trauma and EMS, 701 West Pratt Street, 5th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201, and Joseph Kufera, MS, National Study Center for Trauma and EMS, Department of Epid. and Prev. Med, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 701West Pratt Street, Fifth Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201.

With the increasing proportion of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in the U.S. vehicle fleet, more collisions occur between small and large vehicles. Data from the Maryland CODES (Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System) included drivers of small vehicles who were involved in a two-car crash with either a frontal or left lateral impact. Crashes occurred between 1997 and 2001, and vehicles selected included model year 1993 or newer. A total of 1,539 cases (drivers) were identified; 70.6% were involved in frontal (N=1,087) and 29.4% lateral (N=452) crashes. No differences were noted in injury patterns by body region for those in frontal collisions, based on a comparison of those struck by similar vs. larger vehicles. However, median Injury Severity Scores (ISS) and mortality rates were significantly higher for those struck by larger vehicles. No differences were noted in length of stay or hospital charges between the groups. For those in lateral crashes, drivers struck by larger vehicles had a significantly higher incidence of head, face, and upper extremity injuries. Similar results were found when analyzing data obtained from a consortium of ten U.S. trauma centers enrolled in the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN). In both databases, drivers in smaller vehicles involved in “mismatch” collisions were at higher risk of mortality (frontal crashes) and/or long-term disability associated with brain injury (lateral crashes). Side airbags, which have been recently introduced by automobile manufacturers, may help to lessen the severity of upper body injuries incurred in lateral collisions.

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