Citation

Friedman J, Hendrix V, Fustok J, Reza T, Madda P, Smith A, Mayer S, Duchesne J, Greiffenstein P, Schroll R. J. Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/TA.0000000000002802

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alcohol-related motor vehicle collisions (AR-MVCs) account for ~30% of all U.S. traffic fatalities. Ride-sharing services (RSS) have existed since 2010, but few studies to date have investigated their impact on AR-MVCs. We hypothesized that the availability of RSS would be correlated with a decrease in AR-MVCs at an urban level 1 trauma center.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted of all AR-MVC trauma activations at a Level 1 trauma center from 2012-2018. Additional data were gathered from regional governmental traffic and law enforcement databases including crash incidence, fatalities, and demographics. Data were compared pre-and post-RSS and analyzed using an unpaired t-test with p<0.05 considered significant.

RESULTS: There were 1474 patients in AR-MVCs during the study period. There was a significant decrease in the annual average proportion of MVCs that were AR-MVCs pre- vs post-RSS (39% vs. 29%, p=0.02) as well as a decrease in the average annual incidence of fatal AR-MVCs (11.6 vs 5, p=0.02). Subset analysis showed a decrease in AR-MVC incidence in 18 to 29-year-olds (12.7% vs 7.5%; p=0.03), which was also demonstrated by data from a local law enforcement database. Availability of RSS was also correlated with a decreased proportion of nighttime AR-MVCs (14.7% vs 7.6%, p=0.03) and decreased number of DWIs (1198.0 ±78.5 vs 612.8 ±137.6, p=<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: We found that the incidence of both total AR-MVCs and fatal AR-MVCs presenting to our trauma center decreased after the introduction of RSS. RSS may play a role in preventing AR-MVCs. Further research is needed to correlate AR-MVC incidence with granular proprietary RSS usage data and to account for any confounding factors. Future studies may identify ways to better utilize RSS availability as a targeted intervention for certain demographic groups to prevent AR-MVCs.Therapeutic/Care Management, Level 4.

Language: en