RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Vehicle year and the risk of car crash injury JF Injury Prevention JO Inj Prev FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP 353 OP 356 DO 10.1136/ip.9.4.353 VO 9 IS 4 A1 S Blows A1 R Q Ivers A1 M Woodward A1 J Connor A1 S Ameratunga A1 R Norton YR 2003 UL http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/9/4/353.abstract AB Objective: To quantify the association between vehicle age and risk of car crash injury. Design and setting: Data from a population based case-control study conducted in the Auckland region in 1998/99 was used to examine the adjusted risk of car crash injury or death due to vehicle age, after controlling for a range of known confounders. Cases were all cars involved in crashes in which at least one occupant was hospitalized or killed anywhere in the Auckland region, and controls were randomly selected cars on Auckland roads. The drivers of the 571 case vehicles and 588 control vehicles completed a structured interview. Main outcome measure: Hospitalisation or death of a vehicle occupant due to car crash injury. Results: Vehicles constructed before 1984 had significantly greater chance of being involved in an injury crash than those constructed after 1994 (odds ratio 2.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20 to 6.91), after adjustment for potential confounders. There was also a trend for increasing crash risk with each one year increase in vehicle age after adjustment for potential confounders (odds ratio 1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.11; pā€Š=ā€Š0.09). Conclusion: This study quantifies the increased risk of car crash injury associated with older vehicle year and confirms this as an important public health issue.