Mortality burden from motor vehicle accidents in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE: To examine the risk factors contributing to the mortality burden due to road traffic accidents (RTA) in Taiwan. DESIGN: We compared RTA years of life lost (YLL) rates of Taiwan with those of the surrounding region. We also investigated the risk factors described by the police in a Linked Database combined from police-reported accident data and vital registration data. SAMPLE: RTA deaths (3,234 males/1,160 females) in vital registration data and the deaths (2,918 males/1,063 females) in the Linked Database were used. MEASUREMENT: YLL and YLL rate. RESULTS: (1) YLL rates for 15-29 year olds were the highest for Taiwan and the surrounding region. (2) The YLL rate was remarkably high in the first 2 years of the legal motorcycle licensing age for males riding motorcycles. (3) The YLL rates were usually higher during the day, but were higher for young males at night. (4) Overall, the YLL rates were higher when multiple vehicles were involved and for motorcycles with large engines; however, the rate was higher for motorcycles with small engines for the older female group. CONCLUSIONS: The burden due to premature mortality in RTA showed gender disparities and varied by age among personal, environment, and structure factors.