QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Motor Vehicle Accident Death Rates,* by Sex and Type of Locality† — United States, 2007–2009

QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Motor Vehicle Accident Death Rates,* by Sex and Type of Locality† — United States, 2007–2009

Weekly

* Per 100,000 standard population. Deaths from motor vehicle accidents are those coded V02–V04, V09.0, V09.2, V12–V14, V19.0–V19.2, V19.4–V19.6, V20–V79, V80.3–V80.5, V81.0–V81.1, V82.0–V82.1, V83–V86, V87.0–V87.8, V88.0–V88.8, V89.0, or V89.2 in International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision.

† Counties were classified into urbanization levels based on a classification scheme that considers metropolitan-nonmetropolitan status, population, and other factors.

Death rates from motor vehicle accidents progressively increase across the six urbanization levels, with the lowest rates in large central metropolitan counties and the highest rates in rural counties. For males, the 2007–2009 age-adjusted motor vehicle accident death rate was nearly three times as high in the most rural counties as in the most urban counties (37.6 versus 13.3 per 100,000 population). For females, the rate was just over three times as high in the most rural counties as in the most urban counties (16.1 versus 5.0). For each urbanization level, motor vehicle accident death rates for females were consistently less than half those for males.

Sources: National Vital Statistics System. County-level mortality file. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm and http://wonder.cdc.gov/mortsql.html.

Ingram DD, Franco SJ. NCHS urban-rural classification scheme for counties. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 2012:2(154).

Reported by: Deborah D. Ingram, PhD, ddingram@cdc.gov, 301-458-4733 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 301-458-4733 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; Sheila J. Franco.

Alternate Text: The figure above shows age-adjusted motor vehicle accident death rates, by sex and type of locality, in the United States, during 2007-2009. Death rates from motor vehicle accidents progressively increase across the six categories of urbanization levels, with the lowest rates in large central metropolitan counties and the highest rates in rural counties. For males, the 2007-2009 age-adjusted motor vehicle accident death rate was nearly three times as high in the most rural counties as in the most urban counties (37.6 versus 13.3 per 100,000 population). For females, the rate was just over three times as high in the most rural counties as in the most urban counties (16.1 versus 5.0). For each urbanization level, motor vehicle accident death rates for females were consistently less than half those for males.

March 23, 2012 / 61(11);197