Publication Details

Racial and ethnic disparities in motor vehicle crash-related outcomes in North Carolina surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic

Type: article

Author(s): Neuroth, Lucas M.; Singichetti, Bhavna; Harmon, Katherine J.; Waller, Anna E.; Naumann, Rebecca B.

Pages: 84-88

Url: https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/ip-2023-045005

Publication Date: Feb-2024

Journal: Injury Prevention

Volume: 30

Issue: 1

Issn: 1353-8047

Doi: 10.1136/ip-2023-045005

Pmid: 37857475

Abstract: Long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial and ethnic disparities in motor vehicle crash (MVC) injuries and death are poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize trends and investigate the heterogeneity of MVC-related disparities in North Carolina across several data sources. Crash reports, emergency department visit records, and death certificates from 2018 to 2021 were used to calculate monthly population-rates of MVC-related public health outcomes. We estimated trendlines using joinpoint regression and compared outcomes across racial and ethnic classifications. MVC and MVC-related injury rates declined in conjunction with NC’s stay-at-home order, while rates of severe outcomes remained unimpacted. By December 2021 rates of MVC-related outcomes met or exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with the highest rates observed among non-Hispanic Black individuals. Racial and ethnic disparities in MVC-related outcomes remained prevalent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. These results highlight the importance of a holistic approach to traffic injury surveillance when assessing the impact of MVCs.