Profiling motor vehicle traffic trauma in Rhode Island.

Motor vehicle trauma is the leading cause of injury mortality in Rhode Island, as in the U.S. However, such deaths represent just the tip of the injury iceburg. In order to provide a more comprehensive picture of the road toll and to evaluate countermeasures, principally an anticipated universal mandatory seat belt use law, the Rhode Island Department of Health undertook the first reported investigation of motor vehicular trauma in the nation to use statewide hospital emergency department data. The methodology employed was similar to that used in the Northeastern Ohio Trauma Study. Complementing a previous report, this report presents detailed traffic trauma rates by demographic and road-use characteristics, and a comparison of the age-sex composition of total and severe trauma cases, respectively, with that of the Rhode Island population. The observation period was calendar years 1984 and 1985.