Characteristics of ambulance crashes in Ankara: A retrospective analysis

Year 2024, Volume: 41 Issue: 3, 563 - 568, 30.09.2024

Ramiz Yazıcı , Efe Demir Bala , Muhammed Güner , Ayşe Fethiye Basa Kalafat , Hilmi Kaya , Salih Fettahoğlu , Utku Murat Kalafat , Rabia Birsen Tapkan , Bilal Yeniyurt , Serkan Doğan

Abstract

One of the threats that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel regularly face on the field is ambulance collisions and crashes. Ambulance crashes cause death and injury burden on both the EMS personnel and the civilians. In our study we aimed to evaluate the characteristics of ambulance crashes in Ankara, capital province of Türkiye. This retrospective study analyzed 812 ambulance crashes in Ankara, Turkey, from 01/01/2022 to 31/12/2023 using data from the EMS Command Centre. Crashes were categorized by location, date, driver’s gender and education, patient presence, and accident mechanism, revealing significant correlations between crash incidence and factors such as patient absence and urban settings with stationary objects. We found that there is no statistically significant correlation between the gender and the educational status of the driver and the risk of an ambulance crash. Our data analysis also points out that crashes occur involving a stationary object and EMS vehicle are more common than other mechanisms. Additionally, there is statistically significant correlation between the incidence of an ambulance crash and the absence of a patient inside the ambulance. Ambulance crashes in Ankara, Türkiye, frequently involve stationary vehicles on straight roads in urban areas and are more common when no patient is on board. These findings highlight the need for improved training and safety measures for ambulance drivers to prevent such accidents.

Keywords

Ambulance crashes, emergency medical services, traffic accidents, driver training

Ethical Statement

Ethical Statement This study was ethically approved by the Scientific and Ethical Review Board of Ankara Bilkent City Hospital with the approval number: TABED 1-24-283 and approval date: 22/05/2024.

Supporting Institution

We did not receive funding from public or private donors for this study.

Thanks

None to declare.

References

• Smith N. A National Perspective on Ambulance Crashes and Safety. Guidance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on ambulance safety for patients and providers. EMS World. 2015 Sep;44(9):91-2, 94.
• Sanddal ND, Albert S, Hansen JD, Kupas DF. Contributing factors and issues associated with rural ambulance crashes: literature review and annotated bibliography. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2008 Apr-Jun;12(2):257-67.
• Maguire BJ. Transportation-related injuries and fatalities among emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011 Oct;26(5):346-52.
• Kahn CA, Pirrallo RG, Kuhn EM. Characteristics of fatal ambulance crashes in the United States: an 11-year retrospective analysis. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2001 Jul-Sep;5(3):261-9.
• Hsiao H, Chang J, Simeonov P. Preventing Emergency Vehicle Crashes: Status and Challenges of Human Factors Issues. Hum Factors. 2018 Nov;60(7):1048-1072.
• Custalow CB, Gravitz CS. Emergency medical vehicle collisions and potential for preventive intervention. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2004 Apr-Jun;8(2):175-84.
• Alsofayan YM, Alhajjaj FS, Alowais JM, Alsuhaymi FSM, Almutairi AA, Alsharef MK, Alenazi SA, Alsadan YIS, Alshangiti SAM, Albalawi AFA. The Epidemiology of Prehospital Ambulance Crashes: A National Experience Across Saudi Red Crescent Authority. Cureus. 2023 Jul 17;15(7):e42049.
• Watanabe BL, Patterson GS, Kempema JM, Magallanes O, Brown LH. Is Use of Warning Lights and Sirens Associated With Increased Risk of Ambulance Crashes? A Contemporary Analysis Using National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) Data. Ann Emerg Med. 2019 Jul;74(1):101-109.
• Isenberg D, Cone DC, Stiell IG. A simple three-step dispatch rule may reduce lights and sirens responses to motor vehicle crashes. Emerg Med J. 2012 Jul;29(7):592-5.
• Boland LL, LeVoir MW, Jin D, Duren JL, Souchtchenko SS, Stevens AC. A Retrospective, Single-Agency Analysis of Ambulance Crashes during a 3-Year Period: Association with EMS Driver Characteristics and a Telematics-Measured Safe Driving Score. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2023;27(4):455-464.
• Ray AM, Kupas DF. Comparison of rural and urban ambulance crashes in Pennsylvania. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2007 Oct-Dec;11(4):416-20.
• Weiss SJ, Ellis R, Ernst AA, Land RF, Garza A. A comparison of rural and urban ambulance crashes. Am J Emerg Med. 2001 Jan;19(1):52-6.
• Sanddal TL, Sanddal ND, Ward N, Stanley L. Ambulance Crash Characteristics in the US Defined by the Popular Press: A Retrospective Analysis. Emerg Med Int. 2010;2010:525979.
• Pirrallo RG, Swor RA. Characteristics of fatal ambulance crashes during emergency and non-emergency operation. Prehosp Disaster Med. 1994 Apr-Jun;9(2):125-32.
• Eckstein M. Primum non nocere--first do no harm: an imperative for emergency medical services. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2004 Oct-Dec;8(4):444-6.
• Studnek JR, Fernandez AR. Characteristics of emergency medical technicians involved in ambulance crashes. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008 Sep-Oct;23(5):432-7.
• Biggers WA Jr, Zachariah BS, Pepe PE. Emergency medical vehicle collisions in an urban system. Prehosp Disaster Med. 1996 Jul-Sep;11(3):195-201.
• Missikpode C, Peek-Asa C, Young T, Hamann C. Does crash risk increase when emergency vehicles are driving with lights and sirens? Accid Anal Prev. 2018 Apr;113:257-262.