Factors associated with serious vehicular accidents: A cross‐sectional study in hospital emergency rooms
Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2020-07-12; :
DOI: 10.1111/bcp.14427
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Factors associated with serious vehicular accidents: A cross-sectional study in
hospital emergency rooms.
Forest K(1), Valdenaire G(2), Lorendeau JP(3), Sagaspe P(4), Contrand B(5),
Durand-Teyssier C(1), Sakr D(1), Gil-Jardine C(2), Boutreux S(3), Lagarde E(5),
Peyrouzet H(1), Lassalle R(1), Moore N(1), Philip P(4), Girodet PO(1).
Author information:
(1)Bordeaux INSERM CIC1401, CHU de Bordeaux – Université de Bordeaux 33076,
Bordeaux, France.
(2)CHU de Bordeaux Emergency department, Bordeaux, France.
(3)CH de Périgueux Emergency department, Perigueux, France.
(4)SANPSY UMR CNRS, Bordeaux, France.
(5)Injury Epidemiology, transport, occupation (University of Bordeaux), Bordeaux,
France.
AIMS: Pictograms on medicine boxes warn of potential drug-related driving hazard;
we studied their association with serious accidents.
METHODS: Prospective study in emergency departments of the hospitals in Bordeaux
and Périgueux (France), of drivers with serious (admitted at least 24 hours) or
nonserious vehicular accidents. Minors, passengers, pedestrians or subjects
incapable of answering an interview were excluded. Interviews ascertained driver
and accident characteristics, use of drugs with or without pictograms, use of
alcohol and abuse substances, sleepiness, distractions, and mind wandering at the
time of the accident, RESULTS: Between 18 October 2016 and 26 December 2018, 1200
of the 6212 drivers admitted to the hospital emergency rooms, 741 nonserious, 459
serious, were interviewed. Serious accidents were associated with male sex (odds
ratio 1.89, 95% confidence interval [1.36-2.64]), age above 60 years (3.64
[2.21-6.00]), driving on local roads (3.34 [2.34-4.76]), driving a motorcycle
(3.39 [2.29-5.00]), having drunk alcohol within 6 hours (2.89 [1.85-4.51]) and
using a drug with a pictogram during the 24 hours previous to the accident (1.57
[1.06-2.32]). From 207 police reports, 101 drivers were not responsible, and 106
were responsible, associated with age below 40 years, driving in overcast or
rainy weather (2.62 [1.29-5.33]), on local roads (3.89 [1.90-7.95]), and use of
at least 1 pictogram drug in the previous week (3.12 [1.31-7.41]).
CONCLUSION: The known risks of alcohol and pictogram drugs, of riding motorcycles
and using local roads were confirmed. As measured, behavioural sleepiness did not
predict accidents.
© 2020 The British Pharmacological Society.
DOI: 10.1111/bcp.14427
PMID: 32530532