Injuries in STS travel – a multi methodology approach to estimate incidence and societal costs
Författare
Summary, in English
Objective: Previous research has shown that elderly and disabled travelers using Special Transportation Services (STS) are injured without being involved in a vehicle crash. In order to estimate the true costs for these vehicle-related injuries, the focus needs to be adjusted towards an incident/traveler-oriented perspective. The aim of the project was thus to utilize such a perspective, in order to make a best estimation of the true costs for injury incidents, related to STS in Sweden.
Methods: In order to address the chosen perspective, a mixed-method approach was used, involving quantitative as well as qualitative research methods applied on four different sets of data, the hospital-based material (n=32), two sets of STS material (n=127), and interview-based material (n=1,000).
Results: The results showed that the injury incidence rate in STS is considerable, i.e., 3.2 per 100,000 trips (ranging from 1.5–1.9 in STS taxis and 3.6–5.6 in STS special vehicles). However, this high incidence rate is not due to road traffic crashes, but to non-collision injury incidents involving elderly and frail passengers, easily sustaining injuries from minor to moderate external violence. Typically, this violence is affecting an older female STS user, while entering and exiting the vehicle. The true costs were estimated to be $35 million per annum or $2.6 per trip.
Conclusion: Future injury prevention measures should thus focus on safety in entering and exiting procedures.
Methods: In order to address the chosen perspective, a mixed-method approach was used, involving quantitative as well as qualitative research methods applied on four different sets of data, the hospital-based material (n=32), two sets of STS material (n=127), and interview-based material (n=1,000).
Results: The results showed that the injury incidence rate in STS is considerable, i.e., 3.2 per 100,000 trips (ranging from 1.5–1.9 in STS taxis and 3.6–5.6 in STS special vehicles). However, this high incidence rate is not due to road traffic crashes, but to non-collision injury incidents involving elderly and frail passengers, easily sustaining injuries from minor to moderate external violence. Typically, this violence is affecting an older female STS user, while entering and exiting the vehicle. The true costs were estimated to be $35 million per annum or $2.6 per trip.
Conclusion: Future injury prevention measures should thus focus on safety in entering and exiting procedures.
Publiceringsår
2007
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
180-188
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Traffic Injury Prevention
Volym
8
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Taylor & Francis
Ämne
- Infrastructure Engineering
Nyckelord
- STS Taxis
- STS Special Vehicles
- Cost Estimations
- Special Transportation Services for Elderly and Disabled
- Injury Incidence
- Travel Chain Perspective
Status
Published
Forskningsgrupp
- Competence Center - Traffic Environment for Older and Disabled Persons
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1538-9588