Motor Vehicle Injuries and Deaths
Motor vehicle collisions result in personal injury, death and property damage, causing both human suffering and monetary costs. In addition to drivers and passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians may be harmed. Through education, mandated use of seat belts, tough drunk driving laws and safety engineering, we have seen a decline in injuries and deaths from motor vehicle crashes in recent years. Traffic safety is measured, in part, by crash-related hospitalizations and deaths.
• Since 1992, King County residents have seen a significant decline in hospitalizations due to motor vehicle injuries in all four regions. However, King County data suggest a leveling off of prior declines starting in 2002. Only the East Region has continued to show a decline. (figure 1)
• In Washington State, motor vehicle hospitalizations have neither increased nor decreased since the mid-1990s (data not shown).
• In 2006, motor vehicle crash-related injuries resulted in 1,145 hospitalizations for an age-adjusted rate of 60.8 per 100,000 King County residents. This was similar to the Washington State rate of 64.1 per 100,000 (data not shown).
• South Region and Seattle stood out with the highest rates of hospitalization from motor vehicle injuries, 69.1 and 68.3 per 100,000 residents, respectively. (figure 2)
• At 39.2 per 100,000, East Region had the lowest rate of hospitalizations among all regions and King County. The rate in North Region was similar to the King County rate.
• On average, motor vehicle crashrelated injuries resulted in about 1 death for every 8 hospitalizations in King County. Seattle had a lower ratio of deaths to hospitalizations (approximately 1 death for every 11 hospitalizations) than King County. All other regions were similar to the King County average (data not shown).
• Death rates from motor vehicle accidents have been declining in King County and Washington State since 1980 (data not shown). By region, motor vehicle injury-related deaths have declined since 1990, with the exception of East Region. Among East Region residents, motor vehicle injury-related deaths have neither increased nor decreased.
• For the period 2002-2006, King County had a death rate from motor vehicle crashes among its residents of 7.6 per 100,000, or 694 deaths. The death rate was highest for South Region residents, 9.5 per 100,000. Seattle, East Region, and North Region had similar rates at 6.3, 6.4, and 6.1 per 100,000 residents, respectively. (figure 3)
• Preliminary data from 2007 show a substantial decline in motor vehicle deaths in King County. Total crash deaths declined by 22.9% compared to the 2002-2006 average. Drinking-driver-involved deaths dropped by 40.2% and impaired-driver-involved deaths declined by 39.6%. Speeding-involved deaths were down by 38.2%.
• In 2007, seatbelt use in King County was estimated at 97.9%.
• On average, for the years 2002-2006, men in King County had significantly higher death rates due to vehicular accident-related injuries, nearly 3 times that of women. And among men, death rates were highest in the age groups 15-24 and 75 and older. (figure 4)
• American Indian/Alaska Native men had death rates higher than Asian and white men. African American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino and white men had rates similar to the King County average.
Data Source, Definitions, and Limitations
Death and hospitalization data are from the Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics. Hospitalizations can only be coded to zip codes, while deaths are coded to census tracts. As a result, the boundary definitions for King County and the four regions are slightly different for hospitalizations than for deaths. All rates are ageadjusted to the 2000 U.S. population. Additional 2007 data on motor vehicle deaths, deaths involving driver impairment, drinking and speeding are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatal Accident Reporting System and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Seat belt usage comes from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
The Washington State Department of Health data present an incomplete picture of traffic safety in King County. Death and hospitalization data are coded by residence of the victim not the place where the crash occurred. Residents of other counties who are injured or killed in a vehicular crash in King County are not counted, while King County residents who are injured or killed out of County are counted. In addition, hospitalization discharge data do not capture minor injuries treated at the scene or in an emergency department without admission to the hospital. Department of Transportation data are based on all crashes that occur in King County, and include residents of King County and other counties.
