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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
David Clark, MD, Maine Medical Center, 887 Congress Street, Suite 210, Portland, ME 04102, 207-774-2381, clarkd@mmc.org
Objectives: To evaluate the effect of population density on the rates of motor vehicle mortality in rural and urban areas, while controlling for vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
Methods: Rural and urban data for traffic mortality, VMT, and population were obtained for each state from the Federal Highway Administration for 1998-2000. Linear regression was used to estimate the effect of population density and VMT per capita on the mortality rates.
Results: Variation in rural mortality rate (per 100,000 population) was proportional to rural VMT per capita, but population density and southern location were also independent predictors, together accounting for 91% of this variation. Variation in urban mortality rates was not affected by population density, but urban rates were also higher in the south. The exposure-based rural mortality rate (deaths per 100 million VMT) was inversely proportional to population density, which along with southern location explained 41% of the variation from state to state.
Conclusions: After controlling for VMT and southern location, state population density was a moderately strong predictor of rural but not urban traffic mortality rates.
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.