Medical Factors and Road Accidents

Abstract

A review is given of some of the more relevant published and unpublished information relating to medical factors in road accidents. Three further investigations undertaken at the Road Research Laboratory are reported on; an investigation into 811 seriously injured road users of all categories, an investigation into 593 seriously injured drivers or riders of motor-cycles or scooters, and a further investigation into 9,390 serious or minor injury accidents (including fatalities) reported to the police in one county of England. It is concluded, both from the review of the literature undertaken and from our own investigations, that the overall rate of incidence of sudden illness in drivers or motor-cyclists as a definitive cause of road accidents is low—that is, of the order of 1 per 1.000. Conclusions in regard to the relation between chronic disease or disability and road accidents are more difficult to draw. Two recent investigations, one from Sweden and one from California, both using control groups, seem to have given contradictory results. The rate of incidence would not, however, appear to be high. © 1968, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.