Age and gender patterns in motor vehicle crash injuries: importance of type of crash and occupant role.

To evaluate the interaction of gender, age, type of crash, and occupant role in motor vehicle crash injuries leading to hospitalization, we analyzed 1997 Wisconsin hospital discharge data for patients with primary E-code diagnoses of motor vehicle injuries. The overall ratio of males to females (M/F ratio) hospitalized for motor vehicle crash injuries was 1.33 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26-1.41). The M/F ratio varied by type of crash and differed for passengers and drivers. For injuries sustained in collisions between vehicles, the M/F ratio was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.87-1.05); in loss of control accidents the M/F ratio was 1.95 (95% CI: 1.76-2.17). Within each type of crash, the M/F ratio for drivers was similar to that for the entire type; the M/F ratio for passengers was about half of the type total. Expressed as rates of hospitalization per 100,000 people in the general population, hospitalizations of drivers in collisions with another motor vehicle increased steeply in males, but not in females, beginning at about age 70. For drivers in loss of control crashes, male rates exceeded female rates in all age groups, with peaks in the groups 15-24 and 85-89. For passengers, injury rates from collisions with other motor vehicles were greater for females, especially in the elderly, and injury rates from loss of control crashes were similar for both genders, with peaks at 15-24 and 85-94. The higher fatality of men in loss of control motor vehicle crashes, compared to women, suggests an important area for further investigation.