Fourteen-Year Retrospective Analysis of Crash Characteristics in Accidental Traffic Fatalities

Motor vehicle collisions are a common cause of fatalities in the United States, and remain a significant public health concern. This study aims to analyze crash characteristics in accidental traffic fatalities. All accidental traffic fatalities reported to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2024, were reviewed. Demographic information and crash details were extracted, and statistical analysis was performed utilizing the Student t test (continuous variables) and Pearson χ2 (categorical variables). There were 2088 fatalities identified that met the inclusion criteria. Of those, 1125 involved motor vehicles, 311 motorcycles, 46 bicycles, and 606 pedestrians. The decedent ages ranged from 0 to 92 years, averaging 40 years, and included 1536 males and 552 females. Among motor vehicle deaths, 847 were drivers, and 270 were passengers. Decedent vehicles included 493 sedans, 225 pickup trucks, 275 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and vans, 55 sports cars, and 34 commercial trucks. Crashes involving sedans showed significantly more seat belt use and airbag deployment and had fewer ejections; SUVs showed significantly less seat belt use and more ejections. There was a higher proportion of male ejections in SUVs compared with females.