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Abstract
‘Whiplash’ injuries are a common cause of road traffic accident (RTA) related morbidity.
However, few epidemiological studies have investigated risk factors associated with
the occurrence of such injuries. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships
between vehicle and occupant factors and the incidence of ‘whiplash’ in drivers with
recent experience of a rear-end impact in an RTA. A cohort of 246 car drivers with
recent experience of a rear-end impact in the Adelaide metropolitan area was recruited.
Structured telephone interviews were used to obtain information about driver demographics,
the circumstances of the crash, and injuries resulting from the crash. Two factors
were identified as independent risk factors for ‘whiplash’ injury: a history of neck
injury (adjusted odds ratio = 4.50, 95 per cent confidence interval 1.97–10.28) and
female sex (adjusted odds ratio = 2.08, 95 per cent confidence interval 1.13–3.82).
The relative weight of the striking vehicle to the driver's vehicle was also positively
associated with risk of ‘whiplash’ injury. There was no evidence that the driver's
occupation or level of education are predictors of occurrence. Methodological aspects
of the study which might have resulted in bias are discussed and suggestions are given
for overcoming these in future work.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
November 14,
1996
Identification
Copyright
© 1997 Published by Elsevier Inc.
