MOOSE-MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISIONS - AN INCREASING HAZARD IN NORTHERN NEW-ENGLAND

Objective: To analyze the epidemiology and epizootiology of moose-moto r vehicle collisions (MMVC) and outcomes in severely injured patients to identify variables that might be modified to reduce the impact of t his mutually deleterious interspecies interaction. Design: Wildlife an d Traffic Safety databases permitted retrospective, population-based a ssessment of MMVC epidemiology. A case series compiled from hospital t rauma registries characterized morbidity and mortality from MMVC. Sett ing: New Hampshire and Maine area. Patients: All victims of MMVC (1980 through 1991) were included in population-based analyses. Twenty-thre e patients hospitalized at three rural trauma centers (January 1990 th rough June 1994) were included in the case series. Main Outcome Measur es: Location, time of day and seasonal occurrence of MMVC were determi ned. Injury patterns and Injury Severity Scores were analyzed in 23 re presentative patients. Maine's 1991 traffic and medical data were link ed, and factors predictive of injury from MMVC were identified using m ultivariate logistics. Results: Most MMVC occur from April through Oct ober after dark. Of 23 subjects, 70% sustained head and/or face injuri es and 26%, cervical spine injuries. Mortality was 9%, Mean Injury Sev erity Score was 15.7 (SD=9.0). Safety belt use, rear seat location, an d light truck occupancy were associated with reduced injury (P<.05). C onclusions: Moose-motor vehicle collisions are increasing in rural reg ions. Prevention programs should emphasize defensive driving and seat belt use, especially during high-risk periods, Injury patterns in MMVC suggest a need for automobile design modifications that better protec t the passenger compartment from direct impact.