Vehicle year and the risk of car crash injury

The objective of this study was to quantify the association between vehicle age and risk of car crash injury. Data from a population based case-control study conducted in the Auckland region in 1998/99 was used to examine the adjusted risk of car crash injury or death due to vehicle age, after controlling for a range of known confounders. Cases were all cars involved in crashes in which at least one occupant was hospitalized or killed anywhere in the Auckland region, and controls were randomly selected cars on Auckland roads. The drivers of the 571 case vehicles and 588 control vehicles completed a structured interview. The main outcome measure was hospitalisation or death of a vehicle occupant due to car crash injury. Results showed that vehicles constructed before 1984 had significantly greater chance of being involved in an injury crash than those constructed after 1994, after adjustment for potential confounders. There was also a trend for increasing crash risk with each one year increase in vehicle age after adjustment for potential confounders. In conclusion, this study quantifies the increased risk of car crash injury associated with older vehicle year and confirms this as an important public health issue.