26 research outputs found
Epidemiology of road traffic accidents during pleasure travelling: The evidence from the island of Crete
During the six-month period April to September 1995, all 730 road
traffic injury victims who contacted any of the three hospitals of the
Heraklion District in the island of Crete, directly or through the
Medical Emergency Transportation Network, were recorded. A special form
was completed containing information about selected characteristics of
the victims, nature of the injuries and conditions of the accident. All
39 fatalities owing to road traffic accidents were also registered. In
the absence of data concerning the person-time at risk only proportional
analyses could be performed. On the basis of Greek hospital discharge
statistics in Heraklion District during 1992, one foreigner visitor was
discharged owing to injuries of any type for every 18 Greeks. The
corresponding ratio for road traffic accidents is close to 1:3,
underlying the importance of road traffic accidents as the major health
hazard during pleasure travelling. Left-side driving country nationals
were at an increased risk for traffic accident when they drove a rented
rather than an owned vehicle (p=0.02), possibly on account of
maladaptation during the adjustment period in the country of visit.
Moreover, road traffic victims from left-side driving countries compared
with foreigners from right-side driving countries were involved 2.5
times more frequently in accidents in which overpassing or other driving
maneurves require reflexes conditioned on reverse directionality
(p=0.02). Alcohol abuse was reported as a primary cause of accident in a
significantly higher proportion of foreign nationals (p<10(-6))
reflecting the fact that the latter group was on vacation. Alcohol
intoxication was more common among Eastern European victims than among
victims from European Union countries (p<10(-5)). The likelihood of
death following hospitalization ranged from 0% among those with a
Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 8 or higher, to 90% among those with
GCS less than 8. After adjustment for exact GCS score there was no
difference in the probability of death or the likelihood for admission
to intensive care unit between Greek and foreign nationals. Road traffic
accidents are a major hazard during pleasure travelling and victims of
such accidents among travellers have a distinct epidemiologic profile
compared with accidents of a similar nature among locals. (C) 1997
Elsevier Science Ltd