Ohio Injuries: Motor Vehicle Crashes

Motor vehicle traffic crashes are a common cause of injury and death among Ohio residents. Every 15 minutes in Ohio, 22 people are involved in a motor vehicle crash and 4 people are injured or killed as a result of those crashes. Increased efforts to prevent these injuries are necessary as the number of motor vehicle-related injuries continues to rise. The following data come from the Injury in Ohio report.*

Health Care Resource Utilization

• From 2005 through 2007, injuries due to motor vehicle traffic crashes resulted in an annual average of:
  • 115,239 Emergency Department Visits
  • 74,146 EMS Runs
  • 7,154 Inpatient Hospitalizations
  • 1,309 Fatalities

• The number of motor vehicle crash-related emergency department visits increased 8.5% from 2005 to 2007
• A driver 16-25 years of age was involved in 46.8% of injury crashes
• Drivers and occupants ages 15-24 years had the highest motor vehicle crash-related injury rate
• Speed was a factor in the crash for 15.6% of injured individuals and alcohol was a factor for 8.2%
• The following represents whether proper safety equipment (safety belt, helmet, child safety seat, etc.) was utilized by the injured person at the time of the motor vehicle crash:

• Among children ages 0-14 years who were hospitalized for a motor vehicle crash-related injury, approximately 25% sustained injuries as pedestrians

Hospitalizations

• Motor vehicle crash-related hospitalizations from 2005 to 2007 accounted for an annual average of:
  • $229 million in hospital charges
  • Nearly 30,000 days of hospitalization
• Mean length of stay was 4.2 days

• Mean hospital charges increased 42.8% from 2005 to 2007
• Mean hospital charges per patient for motor vehicle crash-related injuries ($32,111) were second only to firearm-related injuries ($34,896)
• Hospitalization rates were highest among males (77 per 100,000), as well as teens and young adults (97 per 100,000 for ages 15-19 and 111 per 100,000 for ages 20-24)
• Nearly 80% of those admitted to the hospital were discharged home, 11.3% required long-term care, and 5.1% were sent to rehabilitation facilities

Fatalities

• Males accounted for 68.3% of motor vehicle crash-related deaths
• Teens ages 15-19 and young adults ages 20-24 had the highest death rates among all age groups, at 54 per 100,000 and 47 per 100,000, respectively

Motorcycle Injuries

• According to Ohio crash records, an annual average of 3,961 Ohioans were injured while riding a motorcycle from 2005 to 2007
• The number of Ohioans who were injured while riding a motorcycle increased 7.7% from 2005 to 2007
• 83.2% of those injured while riding a motorcycle were male, and 17.3% were ages 15-24 years
• Only 38.4% of injured motorcyclists were helmeted at the time of the crash
• Alcohol was documented as a factor in 11.9% of motorcycle-related injuries

• An average of 148 motorcyclists died in crashes annually from 2005-2007

*Data for this report were obtained from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the Ohio Hospital Association and the Ohio Department of Health. This research brief is part of a series reporting on leading causes of injury among selected age groups in Ohio.