Background: Medical incapacity at the wheel is a small but significant factor in accident causation. To mitigate against this, in July 2017 a UK-based bus operator changed its medical assessment policy, requiring all future medicals to include a request to the General Practitioner (GP) for information about any conditions in the medical record which could affect fitness to drive.
Aims: To evaluate the impact of the change in policy on accident rates.
Methods: Accident data were obtained over a 5-year period, with information on age and length of service of drivers, from three bus depots. Monthly accident rates, before and after the change in policy were compared with the Wilcoxon matched pairs test, and a line of best fit/R2 obtained via a scatter graph.
Results: Although a general downward trend in accident rates was seen, there was no statistically significant difference between the overall accident rates in the 12 months before and after the policy change in July 2017 (P-value = 0.519, significance level P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The downward trend in accident rates observed over the study period could not be attributed to the change of policy. However, this intervention warrants further scrutiny due to the potential consequences of passenger service vehicle accidents. Evidence suggests that professional awareness of the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency fitness to drive standards can be limited, so requesting GP input into driver medicals may raise awareness of these standards from an occupational health perspective.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqab185 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Epidemiology, treatment, and mortality of femoral neck fractures in patients over the age of 65 years: a nationwide retrospective cohort study of 83,789 cases in Turkey.
Hip Int
January 2025
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Istanbul School of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Background: A population-based study delineating the epidemiologic, clinical, and treatment characteristics of femoral neck fractures (FNFs) in elderly patients has not yet been conducted in Turkey. In this nationwide study, the epidemiologic, clinical, and treatment characteristics of patients aged ⩾65 years with FNFs who underwent osteosynthesis, hemiarthroplasty (HA), or total hip arthroplasty (THA) were examined.
Methods: Patients aged ⩾65 years with FNFs were identified in this retrospective, nationwide study.
Computer-Aided Construction and Evaluation of Poly-L-Lysine/Hyodeoxycholic Acid Nanoparticles for Hemorrhage and Infection Therapy.
Pharmaceutics
December 2024
School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China.
Traumatic hemorrhage and infection are major causes of mortality in wounds caused by battlefield injuries, hospital procedures, and traffic accidents. Developing a multifunctional nano-drug capable of simultaneously controlling bleeding, preventing infection, and promoting wound healing is critical. This study aimed to design and evaluate a nanoparticle-based solution to address these challenges effectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiodegradable Stents in the Treatment of Arterial Stenosis.
J Clin Med
January 2025
Department of Accident and Emergency, Etlik City Hospital, Ankara 06170, Turkey.
Arterial diseases (ADs) are a significant health problem, with high mortality and morbidity rates. Endovascular interventions, such as balloon angioplasty (BA), bare-metal stents (BMSs), drug-eluting stents (DESs) and drug-coated balloons (DCBs), have made significant progress in their treatments. However, the issue has not been fully resolved, with restenosis remaining a major concern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical Outcomes and Patterns of Traumatic Injuries Associated with Subway Incidents at a Level 1 Trauma Center.
Life (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Surgery, Elmhurst Hospital Center, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, 79-01 Broadway, Queens, NY 11373, USA.
Objectives: Subway-related accidents have risen with advancements in the system. We aim to study the injury patterns from these incidents.
Methods: This is a retrospective study from a single center, covering patients from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2023.
Words to live by: Using medic impressions to identify the need for prehospital lifesaving interventions.
Acad Emerg Med
January 2025
Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Background: Prehospital emergencies require providers to rapidly identify patients' medical condition and determine treatment needs. We tested whether medics' initial, written impressions of patient condition contain information that can help identify patients who require prehospital lifesaving interventions (LSI) prior to or during transport.
Methods: We analyzed free-text medic impressions of prehospital patients encountered at the scene of an accident or injury, using data from STAT MedEvac air medical transport service from 2012 to 2021.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!