Occupational motor vehicle injury morbidity among municipal employees

Injury related to motor vehicle use among Baltimore City employees was examined throughout a 34-month period. Among an average of 30,000 municipal employees; representing 7% of the total Baltimore work force, almost 2% of all city employees were injured by motor vehicles each year. Twelve percent of all injuries and 16% of the injury costs were attributable to motor vehicles. In the police department, 43% of all costs were vehicle-related. Compared with other departments, the rate of motor vehicle-related injury was more than 4 times as high in the department of public works and twice as high in the police and fire departments. Injuries related to police cars and department of public works trucks occurred at an annual rate of more than 14 per 100 vehicles. Detailed review of injuries that occurred in 1984 suggests the need for greater seat belt use, built-in crash protection, and designs to reduce falls from trucks.