Injuries associated with snowmobiles, Alaska, 1993-1994
| Autor: | Andrew L. Dannenberg, John P. Middaugh, Michael G. Landen |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 1999 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty Adolescent Poison control Suicide prevention Occupational safety and health Alcohol intoxication Patient Admission Cause of Death Injury prevention Epidemiology Medicine Humans Off-Road Motor Vehicles Child Cause of death Aged Aged 80 and over business.industry Incidence Medical examiner Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Accidents Traffic Infant Middle Aged medicine.disease Causality Cross-Sectional Studies Child Preschool Emergency medicine Wounds and Injuries Female business Alcoholic Intoxication Alaska Research Article |
| Popis: | OBJECTIVE: To characterize the nature and burden of snowmobile injuries in Alaska by examining injury deaths and hospitalizations associated with snowmobiles and comparing these with injury deaths and hospitalizations associated with on-road motor vehicles. METHODS: The authors used vital statistics, medical examiner, Department of Public Safety, and Department of Transportation records to identify snowmobile injury deaths, and used vital statistics mortality files to identify on-road motor vehicle injury deaths. The Alaska Trauma Registry provided data on hospitalizations. The number of vehicles in use in 1993-1994 was estimated from snowmobile sales and on-road motor vehicle registrations. RESULTS: For 1993-1994, injury death and hospitalization rates were greater for snowmobiles than for on-road motor vehicles. In northern Alaska, snowmobile injuries outnumbered on-road motor vehicle injuries. A total of 26 snowmobile injury deaths were reported; 7 decedents drowned after breaking through ice and 8 were ejected from vehicles. More than half (58%) of the snowmobile injury deaths involved a natural object such as a boulder, ravine, or river. Of the 17 decedents for whom blood alcohol concentrations were available, 11 (65%) had blood alcohol concentrations > or = 100 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: Natural obstacles and alcohol intoxication contribute to the high risk of injury death associated with snowmobile use. Injury control strategies, including trail development and improvement, should be evaluated. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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