ANALYSIS OF 1996 MAINE CRASHES INVOLVING YOUNG ADULTS

Using linked motor vehicle crash, emergency medical service, hospital discharge, and death certificate records from the Maine CODES project, rates of injury and risk factors were compared for young adult drivers. One in 7 Maine drivers age 16-24 was involved in a motor vehicle crash during 1996. For young drivers, their rate of injury per 100,000 licensed drivers (2,321.6) was more than 3 times the rate for older drivers (734.4). Young adult drivers were more often involved in crashes on local roads and collectors in rural areas, more likely to have run off the road, and more likely to be involved in a crash where alcohol or illegal/unsafe speed were factors. Four of every ten young adult drivers had passengers riding with them during the crash and 80% of the passengers were their peers (age 16-24). While young adult drivers accounted for only 13.9% of the Maine licensed drivers studied they represented 33.7% of the medical cost based on inpatient hospital charges from the linked records.