| Summary: | According to WHO, Sweden should aim to reduce unintentional fatalities, particularly vehicle-related injuries, by 25% by the year 2000. The aim of this thesis was to analyze vehicle-related injuries and injury events, especially the contributory effects of alcohol and disease and the injury reducing capacity of helmets and airbags in order to point out some preventive measures. Alcohol: Alcohol is the main contributing factor in fatal traffic crashes. In a study on 121 traffic fatalities in Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA, different sources of data for alcohol involvement were compared. In police reports alcohol involvement was found in 51% of the fatalities, in autopsy reports in 63%, and in hospital emergency records in 91%. To avoid bias in the estimation of the fraction of alcohol-related fatalities, it is important to routinely investigate all severe and fatally injured cases in traffic crashes, ideally as soon as possible after the crash. In a study on traumatic car fatalities (n=597) in northern Sweden, 58% of the single vehicle (SV) drivers were inebriated (multi-vehicle, MV 10%), the mean blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 1.9 g /l (MV 1.6 g/1), and liver steatosis was found in 37% of the cases (MV 2%). Increased BAC was associated with fatty liver, indicating chronic alcohol abuse. To reduce injuries among these types of victims, passive protection is of great importance. Disease: Autopsied drivers (n=126) in northern Sweden who had died from natural causes in traffic were studied. This fraction was 25% of all driver fatalities. Cardiovascular causes of death were found in 96% of the deceased. Neither the victims nor other occupants suffered severe traumatic injuries. A minority of the victims had experienced previous symtoms of disease. Further restriction of individuals with, for example, cardiovascular diseases would probably have no significant impact on traffic safety since at present the identification of high-risk individuals is difficult. Helmets: Head injuries in 948 injured bicyclists, ...
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