Change in risk factor prevalence: percent of the dead exposed to each of five risk factors.* Estimates for 1982 and 2001 are from a line fitted to the data for all years.†
| Risk factor | Prevalence in 1982 (%) | Prevalence in 2001 (%) | Difference (%) | 95% CI for difference (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Only some dead people were considered to be at risk for some factors: for example, only vehicle occupants (not motorcyclists) were considered at risk for not wearing a seat belt and only motorcycle riders were considered at risk for not wearing a motorcycle helmet. | ||||
| †Change difference = final year prevalence minus first year prevalence. Change estimate restricted to 1992–2001 for air bags and 1994–2001 for bicycle helmets. | ||||
| ‡Failure to wear a bicycle helmet assumed to be 100% before 1994. | ||||
| Alcohol | 56 | 36 | −20 | −20 to −19 |
| No seat belt | 94 | 55 | −39 | −40 to −39 |
| No air bag | 100 | 53 | −48 | −48 to −47 |
| No motorcycle helmet | 60 | 44 | −16 | −18 to −15 |
| No bicycle helmet‡ | 100 | 94 | −4 | −6 to −3 |