Automobile accidents in Illinois veterinarians

Interviews to solicit information on total automobile or truck travel, occupation related travel and automobile accidents were completed on 1082 non-military veterinarians in Illinois in 1969. Most had driven between 10,000 and 19,999 miles the previous year. Of the 1082 veterinarians interviewed, 313 had been in a total of 416 automobile accidents; of which 228 had been in only 1 accident, 69 in 2 accidents, 14 in 3 accidents and 2 veterinarians had 4 accidents each. the frequency of automobile accidents correlated directly with the number of work-related miles driven. Large animal, general practice and government employed were the three practice types with most miles traveled and greatest percent of miles traveled which were occupationally related. Veterinarians who had been in one or more automobile accidents differed from the total veterinary population in that fewer were married, veterans, smokers, had consulted a physician concerning their health the last six months or had been sick following insecticide use. Searches of death certificates indicated that 14 Illinois veterinarians had died as a result of vehicular accidents between 1950 and 1973, a figure similar to the rate in Illinois white males.