Welcome back to the 2019 SafeTREC Traffic Safety Facts blog series, where we feature recent data on some of California's most pressing traffic safety issues! Explore our recent posts on:
- Pedestrian safety
- Bicycle safety
- Aging road users
- Speeding-Related Collisions
- Alcohol-Involved and Drug-Impaired Driving
- Motorcycle Safety and Occupant Protection
In today's post, explore SafeTREC's final fact sheet in the 2019 series on emergency medical services.
Get the Facts: Emergency Medical Services
There are typically many contributing factors in motor vehicle crashes. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a critical role post-crash to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Recent studies show that an effective emergency trauma care system can improve survival from serious injuries by as much as 25 percent and county-level coordinated systems of trauma care can reduce crash fatalities rates as much as 50 percent.
The Haddon Matrix applies basic principles of public health to motor vehicle-related injuries. The matrix looks at the factors in the pre-crash, crash, and post-crash phases to see how the driver, vehicle, and environment affect the outcome. Specifically, it identifies the factors that impact the prevention, severity, and survivability of crashes. For EMS, some factors are response time, proximity to an appropriate trauma center, and access to first responders with the appropriate equipment and training.
Read the 2019 SafeTREC Traffic Safety Fact Sheet: Emergency Medical Services.