Factors Associated with Motorcycle Traffic Crash Fatalities among Army Soldiers,1995-2014
Abstract
Motorcyclists are 30 to 35 times more likely to die in a crash than other vehicle occupants. In 2012, among active duty Service members, the rate of motorcycle deaths (6.5 per 100,000 person-years) approached that of non-motorcycle motor vehicle crashes (6.7 per 100,000 person-years) despite only 15 percent of Service members reporting riding motorcycles. Purpose: The purpose of this study was (1) to describe motorcycle crash-related injuries from safety report data and (2) to assess the effect of alcohol and helmet use on risk of death due to motorcycle crash-related injuries among active duty Army personnel. Methods: Data on motorcycle traffic crashes from 1995 to 2014 were obtained from the Army Safety Management Information System and person-years were obtained from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. Trends in motorcycle injury and fatality rates, descriptive statistics, and multivariable logistic regression were calculated. Results: The rate of motorcycle traffic crashes increased from 2.7 per 100,000 person-years in 1995 to 5.8 per 100,000 person-years in 2014. Two-thirds of motorcycle traffic crashes resulted in injuries requiring a lost workday; 17 resulted in fatality. Of the fatal motorcycle traffic crashes, 79 of riders sustained injuries to the head and neck, with 60 of fatal injuries categorized as fractures, 13 concussions, and 7 abrasions/lacerations. Motorcycle traffic crashes involving operators who had used alcohol had 3 times higher odds of fatality than those who did not use alcohol (OR [95 CI]: 3.2 [2.1-4.5]), controlling for operator and crash characteristics. Operators who did not wear a helmet had 1.9 times higher odds of fatality than those who did wear a helmet (OR [95 CI]: 1.9 [1.2-2.9]), controlling for the same factors. Conclusions: There are a number of modifiable risk factors (i.e., alcohol use, helmet use, riding at night, and sleep) associated with motorcycle traffic fatalities among Soldiers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1063513
Entities
People
- Bonnie P. Taylor
- Bruce H. Jones
- Catherine Rappole
- Michelle Canham-chervak
Organizations
- United States Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine