A poor way to die: social deprivation and road traffic fatalities

A sample of 893 fatal vehicle occupant cases was considered, from 10 UK police forces, from the years 1994–2005 inclusive. Each case was summarised on a database that included the main objective features (such as time and place), a summary narrative, a sketch plan and a list of explanatory factors. Each case was then assigned an Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) score based on the postcode/address of the primary fatality, and these scores were separated into IMD quintiles.
The main findings were that driving at excessive speed, driver intoxication, driver/passenger failure to wear seat-belts, and unlicensed/uninsured driving were most prevalent in fatal collisions in the most deprived IMD quintiles. Young drivers (under 24 years) form high proportions of fatal casualties across all IMD quintiles. Older drivers and passenger fatalities are more concentrated in the least deprived IMD quintiles.