EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DURING PLEASURE TRAVELING - THE EVIDENCE FROM THE ISLAND OF CRETE

During the six-month period April to September 1995, all 730 road traf fic injury victims who contacted any of the three hospitals of the Her aklion District in the island of Crete, directly or through the Medica l Emergency Transportation Network, were recorded. A special form was completed containing information about selected characteristics of the victims, nature of the injuries and conditions of the accident. All 3 9 fatalities owing to road traffic accidents were also registered. In the absence of data concerning the person-time at risk only proportion al analyses could be performed. On the basis of Greek hospital dischar ge statistics in Heraklion District during 1992, one foreigner visitor was discharged owing to injuries of any type for every 18 Greeks. The corresponding ratio for road traffic accidents is close to 1:3, under lying the importance of road traffic accidents as the major health haz ard during pleasure travelling. Left-side driving country nationals we re at an increased risk for traffic accident when they drove a rented rather than an owned vehicle (p=0.02), possibly on account of maladapt ation during the adjustment period in the country of visit. Moreover, road traffic victims from left-side driving countries compared with fo reigners from right-side driving countries were involved 2.5 times mor e frequently in accidents in which overpassing or other driving maneur ves require reflexes conditioned on reverse directionality (p=0.02). A lcohol abuse was reported as a primary cause of accident in a signific antly higher proportion of foreign nationals (p<10(-6)) reflecting the fact that the latter group was on vacation. Alcohol intoxication was more common among Eastern European victims than among victims from Eur opean Union countries (p<10(-5)). The likelihood of death following ho spitalization ranged from 0% among those with a Glascow Coma Scale (GC S) score of 8 or higher, to 90% among those with GCS less than 8. Afte r adjustment for exact GCS score there was no difference in the probab ility of death or the likelihood for admission to intensive care unit between Greek and foreign nationals. Road traffic accidents are a majo r hazard during pleasure travelling and victims of such accidents amon g travellers have a distinct epidemiologic profile compared with accid ents of a similar nature among locals. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.