Research Papers (2009 – 2013)

Abstract

As walking, cycling, and motorcycling gain in popularity, the onus is on road safety professionals to ensure that safety and security measures keep pace with the public interest in these activities. In order to effectively address the needs of these road users, an epidemiological profile for such vulnerable road users is required to inform prevention and mitigation initiatives. To this end, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has partnered with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to conduct an analysis of injuries relating to vulnerable road users using a variety of Canadian data sources. TIRF maintains two databases from which information was drawn for the analysis. The National Fatality Database is a comprehensive, multi-decade set of core data related to all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Canada. TIRF also maintains the Serious Injury Database, which contains information on persons seriously injured in crashes. These data were compared with PHAC’s own Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), an injury surveillance system operating in the emergency departments of seventeen hospitals across Canada. CHIRPP is unique in its use of text-based fields for the detailed classification and identification of very specific injury circumstances, in conjunction with an extensive coding system. The primary goal of the comparative analysis is to present an up-to-date overview of crashes and injuries related to vulnerable road users in Canada. A secondary goal is to present an assessment of the role of alcohol and drugs in these crashes.

Ward Vanlaar, Heather McAteer, Steve Brown, Steven R. McFaull, Jennifer Crain