Citation

Barry V, Van Dyke ME, Nakayama JY, Zaganjor H, Sheppard M, Stein Z, Radhakrishnan L, Schweninger E, Rose K, Whitfield GP, West B. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 2024; 73(17): 387-392.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, (in public domain), Publisher U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

DOI

10.15585/mmwr.mm7317a1

PMID

38696330

Abstract

Traffic-related pedestrian deaths in the United States reached a 40-year high in 2021. Each year, pedestrians also suffer nonfatal traffic-related injuries requiring medical treatment. Near real-time emergency department visit data from CDC's National Syndromic Surveillance Program during January 2021-December 2023 indicated that among approximately 301 million visits identified, 137,325 involved a pedestrian injury (overall visit proportion = 45.62 per 100,000 visits). The proportions of visits for pedestrian injury were 1.53-2.47 times as high among six racial and ethnic minority groups as that among non-Hispanic White persons. Compared with persons aged ≥65 years, proportions among those aged 15-24 and 25-34 years were 2.83 and 2.61 times as high, respectively. The visit proportion was 1.93 times as high among males as among females, and 1.21 times as high during September-November as during June-August. Timely pedestrian injury data can help collaborating federal, state, and local partners rapidly monitor trends, identify disparities, and implement strategies supporting the Safe System approach, a framework for preventing traffic injuries among all road users.

Language: en

Keywords

*Accidents, Traffic/statistics & numerical data; *Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data; *Pedestrians/statistics & numerical data; *Wounds and Injuries/epidemiology; Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Child; Child, Preschool; Emergency Room Visits; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Middle Aged; United States/epidemiology; Young Adult