Using Geospatial Mapping to Determine the Impact of All-Terrain Vehicle Crashes on Both Rural and Urban Communities

Abstract

IntroductionDeaths and injuries from all-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes result in approximately 700 deaths each year and more than 100,000 emergency department (ED) visits. Common misconceptions about ATV crashes are a significant barrier to injury prevention efforts, as is the lack of key information about where and how crashes occur. The purpose of this study was to determine ATV crash patterns within a state, and to compare and contrast characteristics of these crashes as a function of crash-site rurality.MethodsWe performed descriptive, comparative, and regression analyses using a statewide off-road vehicle crash and injury database (2002–2013). Comparisons were performed by rurality as defined using the Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) coding system, and we used geographic information system (GIS) software to map crash patterns at the zip code and county levels.ResultsATV crashes occurred throughout the state; 46% occurred in urban and 54% in rural zip code areas. Comparisons of rider and crash characteristics by rurality showed similarities by sex, age, seating position, on vs. off the road, and crash mechanism. Conversely, helmet use was significantly lower among victims of isolated rural crashes as compared to other victims (p=0.004). Crashes in isolated rural and small rural areas accounted for only 39% of all crashes but resulted in 62% of fatalities. In both rural and urban areas, less than one-quarter of roadway injuries were traffic related. Relative crash rates varied by county, and unique patterns were observed for crashes involving youth and roadway riders. During the study period, 10% and 50% of all crashes occurred in 2% and 20% of the state’s counties, respectively.ConclusionThis study suggests that ATV crashes are a public health concern for both rural and urban communities. However, isolated rural ATV crash victims were less likely to be helmeted, and rural victims were over-represented among fatalities. Traffic was not the major factor in roadway crashes in either rural or urban areas. Unique crash patterns for different riding populations suggest that injury prevention experts and public policy makers should consider the potential impact of geographical location when developing injury prevention interventions.

The Dark Side of Nighttime All-Terrain Vehicle Use

“…We speculate that limited light conditions and visibility may contribute to the higher frequency of ATV-ATV collisions when riding in groups and that the lower frequency of collisions with other motor vehicles may re ect less tra c at night. As previously observed [5,15,18,21,24], the major crash mechanism in all cases was a non-collision event, i.e., a rollover. A study of ATV-related spinal injuries noted rollovers to be a frequent injury mechanism of their nighttime patients [23].…”

The Effect of All-Terrain Vehicle Crash Location on Emergency Medical Services Time Intervals

“…A database of off-road vehicle (ORV) crashes and injuries in Iowa called the Iowa Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Database was created and coded as previously described in the literature [21][22][23]. The database includes data from the Iowa State Trauma Registry (STR), the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for 2002-2013.…”

“…The database includes data from the Iowa State Trauma Registry (STR), the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for 2002-2013. Geospatial mapping of these cases has been previously published [23]. The current study utilized ORV database records from 2004-2013 and additional STR data from 2014.…”

Enforcement of Off-Road Vehicle Laws in Iowa

“…Esri ArcGIS Software (v10.2, Redlands, CA, USA) was used to construct graphic depictions of citation patterns at the county level normalized per 100 registered ATVs as previously described [31]. ArcGIS selected cutoff points for the scale to optimize comparisons.…”