Disparity surveillance of nonfatal motor vehicle crash injuries

The lack of race information for nonfatal motor vehicle crash injuries in the United States has limited the understanding of racial disparities in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). In this article, we describe a pilot surveillance project in Nebraska that linked crash reports and driver's license records to investigate racial disparity among nonfatal MVC injuries.

The project linked 43,157 severely and nonseverely injured drivers from crash reports between 2006 and 2010 to the corresponding state driver's license database so that drivers' race information from each MVC could be retrieved. A log rate model was used to examine the likelihood of MVC injuries by drivers' race along the dimensions of age, sex, and place of residence.

Black drivers had 31.6 and 87 percent more severe and nonsevere injuries, respectively, than white drivers. Rural residents were more likely than urban residents to have severe MVC injuries. Controlling for residence status, age, and sex did not alter the basic pattern that black drivers had higher rates of nonfatal MVC injuries.

The linkage approach provides an effective way to obtain additional information for MVC injury disparity surveillance. To reduce racial disparities in severe and nonsevere MVC injuries, race-sex-, race-age-, and race-location-specific interventions should be considered based on their significant contributions to disparity.