UM SOM: National Study Center for Trauma (NSC)

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Special Study

Project Background:

“Pedestrian deaths” is the second-largest category of motor vehicle deaths. It includes almost half of the traffic deaths for ages 3-9 and more than one-fourth for ages 75 and older(1). Among all motor vehicle trauma, the case-admission ratio is highest for pedestrians, with 266 hospital admissions per 1,000 cases(2). In 1997, there were 77,000 pedestrian-vehicle incidents (PVI) resulting in injury, and 5,307 pedestrians were killed in the United States. This accounted for 13% of all traffic fatalities, but only 2% of all traffic injuries. On the average a pedestrian is injured every 7 minutes, and one is killed every 99 minutes(3).

In 1997, the state of Maryland had a pedestrian fatality rate of 2.1 per 100,000 population(3). This is slightly above the national average and ranks as the 12th highest in the United States.

The purpose of this study was to characterize pedestrian collisions in Ocean City, Maryland for 1999 (with an emphasis on summer months) and to define the contributing factors associated with pedestrian injury.

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