(This project is part of a five-year grant awarded to The Center for Injury Research and Control (CIRCL) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

Funding Agency:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Grant No. R49/CCR310285)

Total Project Period:

9/1/03 - 8/31/08

Total Project Award:

$4,498,178 (total CIRCL grant award amount)

Principal Investigator:

Harold B. Weiss, PhD

Co-Investigators:

None

Project Summary:

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of maternal death during pregnancy, the leading cause of hospitalized trauma during pregnancy, and the leading cause of traumatic fetal injury mortality. Three percent of all pregnancies may be involved in a police-reported crash. This will be a retrospective study of approximately 14,000 female drivers in Pennsylvania who were pregnant at the time of a police-reported motor vehicle crash. The project will use modern data linkage methods to better understand and quantify the impact of pregnant-driver crashes on birth outcomes including fetal and infant survival, low birth weight and prematurity. Crash factors, including severity and geometries, will be derived from police reports. Information regarding maternal injuries will be identified from linked police, EMS and hospital data. Infant birth and fetal death certificates will provide information on adverse reproductive outcomes and those will be correlated with crash and injury factors as predictors.