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Abstract
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A study was carried out in 1995-1999 to assess
severity factors for truck drivers' crashes. The authors used data from the
trauma registry of road crash victims of the Rhône region, France.
Several descriptive characteristics of the victims (age, place of residence) and
their crashes (place, time, antagonist, seatbelt wearing) were analyzed. The
injuries of 300 male truck drivers were described by body region, and their
severity was measured by using the injury severity score comparing these drivers
with 9,488 male car drivers (age: 18-67 years). Truck drivers were more
seriously injured than car drivers; the odds ratio was 1.87 (95% confidence
interval: 1.33, 2.63) for having an injury severity score of 9 or more. Limb and
abdominal lesions were more frequent and more serious among truck drivers. The
lack of seatbelt wearing by truck drivers was one of the factors that explained
the particular severity of their injuries; the odds ratio, adjusted for seatbelt
wearing, for truck drivers to be seriously injured was 1.04 (95% confidence
interval: 0.73, 1.47) compared with car drivers. When all of the severity
factors were taken into account, the risk was even lower, but not significantly
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