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The Effect of Ethyl Alcohol upon Pedestrian Trauma Sustained in Traffic Crashes

Author

Listed:
  • Witold Pawłowski

    (Department of Disaster Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warszawa, Poland)

  • Dorota Lasota

    (Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warszawa, Poland)

  • Mariusz Goniewicz

    (Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, 20-059 Lublin, Poland)

  • Patryk Rzońca

    (Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, 20-059 Lublin, Poland)

  • Krzysztof Goniewicz

    (Department of Security Studies, Polish Air Force Academy, 08-521 Dęblin, Poland)

  • Paweł Krajewski

    (Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warszawa, Poland)

Abstract

Introduction: Every year more than 1.2 million people worldwide die due to trauma sustained in road crashes, with an additional number of people injured exceeding 50 million. To a large extent, this applies to so called “unprotected road users”, including pedestrians. The risk involved in a traffic crash for pedestrians can result from many factors, one of which is participation in road traffic when under the influence of alcohol. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of alcohol use among pedestrians as unprotected road traffic participants, and the consequences of them being struck by motor vehicles. Material and methods: The source of data was the medical documentation of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw. The sample for this research consisted of 313 pedestrians who were victims of fatal road crashes resulting from a collision with a mechanical vehicle. The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis using the STATISTICA version 12.5 program (StatSoft Polska, Cracow, Poland). Results: Male fatalities constituted the majority of the study sample. Nearly half of the fatal pedestrian victims were found to be under the influence of alcohol. The statistical analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between the gender and age of the victims, as well as between the place of the event, the place of death, the mechanism of the event, and the presence of alcohol in pedestrians. Conclusions: Among pedestrians, victims of road crashes who were under the influence of alcohol were predominantly drunk young males. Victims under the influence of alcohol were more likely to become fatalities in crashes where the mechanism of the incident was being struck by a passenger car, and when the place of the incident was a rural area, in these cases the rates of death directly at the scene were much more frequent. The eradication of alcohol consumption by all road users should be the overriding objective of all measures aimed at reducing the number of road crashes.

Suggested Citation

  • Witold Pawłowski & Dorota Lasota & Mariusz Goniewicz & Patryk Rzońca & Krzysztof Goniewicz & Paweł Krajewski, 2019. "The Effect of Ethyl Alcohol upon Pedestrian Trauma Sustained in Traffic Crashes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-8, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:8:p:1471-:d:225899
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dorota Lasota & Ahmed Al-Wathinani & Paweł Krajewski & Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel & Krzysztof Goniewicz & Attila J. Hertelendy & Riyadh A. Alhazmi & Witold Pawłowski & Amir Khorram-Manesh & Mariusz Goniew, 2020. "Alcohol and the Risk of Railway Suicide," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-10, September.
    2. Dorota Lasota & Ahmed Al-Wathinani & Paweł Krajewski & Krzysztof Goniewicz & Witold Pawłowski, 2020. "Alcohol and Road Accidents Involving Pedestrians as Unprotected Road Users," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-11, December.

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