Characteristics of single vehicle rollover fatalities in three Australian states (2000–2007)

Abstract: An analysis of 2000–2007 single vehicle rollover fatalities in three Australian states was carried out using data from the Australian National Coroners Information System. In this paper, successive selection criteria were applied to the initial dataset to analyse: [-] Occupant fatalities in single passenger car crashes (1743 cases), [-] Occupant fatalities in single passenger car rollovers (474 cases), overall, rollovers accounted for 35% of all occupant fatalities in a single vehicle transport injury event. For these fatalities, the occupant was ejected or stayed contained in equal proportions. However, results showed strong disparities between the more urban and densely populated states of New South Wales and Victoria, compared to the Northern Territory in terms of crash type distribution and containment of the occupant. Differences were also found in rollover initiation, speed at initiation and number of turns. Overall, the strongest association of fatal neck/thoracic spine injuries with head injuries was found for the contained, restrained occupant. This analysis of single vehicle rollover fatalities is consistent with previous findings. It also shows that in Australia, strategies for rollover injury risk mitigation will need to take into account a broad range of characteristics to be effective. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]