Risk Factors Associated with Passenger Vehicle Fatal Rollover Crashes in West Virginia, 2001-2018

Authors

Yuni Tang, West Virginia UniversityFollow
Toni Marie Rudisill, West Virginia UniversityFollow
Ruchi Bhandari, West Virginia UniversityFollow

Corresponding Author

Name: Yuni Tang

Email address: yt0019@mix.wvu.edu

Author Affiliations

Names: Yuni Tang, Toni Marie Rudisill, Ruchi Bhandari

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV, USA.

ORCID iD:

Tang - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1133-7445;

Rudisill - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2019-4274;

Bhandari - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4288-6255.

Abstract

Background: Rollover crashes cause more injuries and fatalities than other types of motor vehicle crashes. West Virginia (WV) has high rates of drug overdose deaths and motor vehicle crash fatality. However, no studies have investigated risk factors associated with fatal rollover crashes in WV.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate whether drug use and other risk factors are associated with fatal rollover crash fatalities in WV.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized the Fatality Analysis Reporting System dataset from passenger vehicle crashes involving WV drivers ≥ 16 years of age with known drug test results who died within 2 hours after collision from 2001 to 2018. Risk factors associated with fatal rollover crashes were compared to non-rollover crashes using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: During the study period, 880 WV drivers died in rollover crashes. Driving ≥ 60 mph [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.4-6.8], alcohol use (aOR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1-2.1), rural areas (aOR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.0-1.9), and the lack of airbag deployment (aOR: 2.7; 95% CI: 2.1-3.5) were associated with fatal rollover crashes in WV. However, drug use was not associated with fatal rollover crashes in the final multivariable logistic regression model (aOR:1.13; 95% CI: 0.9-1.5).

Implications: Findings of risk factors associated with rollover crash fatalities in WV can inform several public health interventions. Rapid and sensitive assessment tools and standardized toxicology testing are helpful to provide more comprehensive drug-impaired driving datasets for future analysis.

DOI

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0304.05

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Tang Y, Rudisill TM, Bhandari R. Risk Factors Associated with Passenger Vehicle Fatal Rollover Crashes in West Virginia, 2001–2018. J Appalach Health 2021;3(4):45–59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0304.05