Profiles of pregnant women encountering motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan, 2008–2017

Abstract

Background Understanding demographic profiles is essential to the assessment of health burden imposed by motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) on pregnant women. However, Asian studies that have examined it are lacking. The study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics and prevalence of MVCs involving pregnant women in Taiwan. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted by the Taiwan Birth Notification dataset from 2008 to 2017 was linked with the police-reported traffic collision registry to identify pregnant women involved in MVCs. The pregnant women were categorized according to their gestational age, age at delivery, the role of road user (driver, passenger, or pedestrian), and vehicle types (car, two-wheeled motor vehicle, or others). A chi-square test was performed for the significance test. Results A total of 22,134 (1.13%) pregnant women were involved in MVCs in the study period. Two-wheeled motor vehicle (47.9%) and driver (81.4%) were the mainly reported vehicle type and road user at the crash scenes, respectively. The majority of MVCs occurred in pregnant women aged 28–34 years. The number of MVCs rapidly declined after 37 weeks of gestation, especially two-wheeled motor vehicle or car crashes. However, the number of pedestrian victims climbed up during the third trimester. Conclusion Pregnant women are susceptible to MVCs regardless of their gestational age, role of a road user, or type of vehicle. The findings of this study emphasize the need for increased awareness of traffic collision prevention among pregnant women aged 28–34. In addition, improving pedestrian safety is essential for the reduction of pregnant victims.