A STUDY OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES IN WAYNE COUNTY, MICHIGAN

IN 1965 AND 1966, 7,853 PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS WERE REPORTED BY THE POLICE AGENCIES IN WAYNE COUNTY. OF THESE, 286 WERE FATALITIES. AUTOPSY PROTOCOLS, POLICE REPORTS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS WERE REVIEWED AND THE SCENE OF EACH ACCIDENT REVISITED. THE MAJORITY OF THE VICTIMS WERE CAUCASIAN (75%) MALES (72%). THOSE UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE WERE INVOLVED IN 53% OF ALL PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS BUT ACCOUNTED FOR ONLY 19% OF ALL FATALITIES. ON THE OTHER HAND, PEDESTRIANS OVER 50 YEARS OF AGE WERE INVOLVED IN ONLY 17% OF ALL ACCIDENTS BUT ACCOUNTED FOR 56% OF THE FATALITIES. IN THE FATALITY GROUP 37% WERE CROSSING THE STREET OUTSIDE THE CROSSWALK OR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BLOCK. SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT WERE CROSSING A FOUR OR MORE LANE ROAD WHEN STRUCK. MORE PEDESTRIANS WERE KILLED AT 7-8 P.M. THAN AT ANY OTHER HOUR OR, ON A THREE-HOUR BASIS, BETWEEN 6 AND 9 P.M. THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES OCCURRED ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. APPROXIMATELY 8% OF THE ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES OCCURRED EACH MONTH, EXCEPT IN DECEMBER WHEN 13% OF THE TOTAL WERE KILLED. MEDICAL EXAMINER'S ALCOHOL DETERMINATION OF THE VICTIMS INDICATED THAT 42% HAD ELEVATED BLOOD ALCOHOL WHEREAS ONLY 7% HAD BEEN DRINKING ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORTS. OVER HALF (55%) OF THOSE WHO DIED WERE DEAD ON ARRIVAL AT THE HOSPITAL. ONLY 15% LIVED FOR MORE THAN A DAY FOLLOWING ADMISSION. FATAL INJURIES TO THE HEAD WERE FOUND IN 55% OF 187 VICTIMS ON WHOM AUTOPSIES WERE PERFORMED. HALF OF THIS GROUP SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES TO THE HEAD ONLY. THE NECK AND THORAX WERE EACH INVOLVED IN 42% OF THE FATAL INJURIES. COMBINATIONS OF FATAL INJURIES IN DIFFERENT BODY AREAS IS THE RULE WITH THE NECK AND THORAX FOUND MORE OFTEN THAN ANY OTHER COMBINATION. WHEN SERIOUS INJURIES ARE COMBINED WITH FATAL INJURIES, THEN 78% OF ALL VICTIMS HAD TWO OR MORE BODY AREAS SEVERLY INJURED WITH 12% OF THE VICTIMS HAVING FIVE OR SIX BODY AREAS INJURED. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report No BIO-9, 52 PP, 58 FIG, 12 TAB, 15 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  Department of Anatomy
  Ann Arbor, MI  United States  48109
• Authors:
  • Huelke, D F
  • Davis, R A
• Publication Date: 1969

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Blood alcohol levels; Crosswalks; Fatalities; Four lane highways; Injuries; Multilane highways; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Photographs; Police; Reports; Statistics
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00220637
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 19 1970 12:00AM