There's no place like home; motor vehicle crashes and distance from residence

Background/Purpose

Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are rapid and violent events that are potentially preventable. During the 5-year study period, there were over 162,000 MVCs resulting in more than 78,665 injuries on the roads in the state of New Hampshire. This study examined the factors impacting the distance from zip code of residence to the crash zip code in injured hospitalized patients, with the premise, the old adage crashes occur close home. This study explores a poorly investigated area of motor vehicle crash research.

Methods

Variables in the police crash report were linked to inpatient hospital discharge data. These secondary datasets were linked together to produce a dataset describing MVCs and their outcomes. Variables in this dataset were analyzed using a student's t-test to identify factors associated with distance from the site of the crash zip to the occupant's home zip.

Results/Outcomes

Those living in communities with lower education, a higher percent of families in poverty and lower median family income had crashes farther from home. Additionally, those driving or wearing safety restraints crashed farther from home.

Conclusions

As those living in low SES zip code are at risk for injury in MVC's policy development, legislators, safety, and public health policy makers will be able to concentrate resources such as education and enforcement in low SES zip codes to reduce the number and severity of injuries from MVCs. The limitations of this study and opportunities for future research include comorbidities, available medical services, other vehicle safety equipment, and road conditions.