Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-5-21
pubmed:abstractText
It has been established that seat belt use by car occupants and helmet use by motorcycle riders substantially reduces the risk of serious and fatal injuries following accidents. No study, however, has evaluated the motor vehicle deaths that could be prevented in Greece by general use of these devices, even though this country has the highest mortality from motor vehicle accidents in the European Union. We have estimated the odds ratios (OR) for death rather than injury in a motor vehicle accident by seat belt use among occupants of passenger cars or helmet use among motorcycle riders, using a nationwide database in which persons killed or injured in road traffic accidents in 1985 and 1994 were recorded. The study base included 910 dead and 19,511 injured persons for 1985 and 1203 dead and 22,186 injured persons for 1994. The OR and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for death rather than injury was 0.69 (CI: 0.58 to 0.81, p < 10(-5)) for seat belt users versus non-users and 0.64 (CI: 0.51 to 0.81; p < 10(-3)) for helmet users versus non-users. There was evidence that the protective effect of these passive safety devices increased from 1985 to 1994 probably reflecting technological improvements. The proportion of all deaths that could have been avoided if all car occupants used seat belts was estimated to 27%, whereas 38% of motorcycle deaths could have been avoided if all motorcycle riders used helmets. These proportions translate to about 500 deaths per year, mostly deaths among young men.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0001-4575
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
30
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
87-91
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
Fatalities from non-use of seat belts and helmets in Greece: a nationwide appraisal. Hellenic Road Traffic Police.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Athens University Medical School, Greece.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't