Abstract
Objective
Pedestrian and cyclist collisions comprise a significant proportion of preventable injury. In urban settings, collision rates have been linked to various socio-demographic factors. We sought to determine whether neighbourhood marginalization affects pedestrian and cyclist collisions in the Greater Toronto Area.
Methods
For 114 intersections, pedestrian and cyclist collisions were extracted from the Toronto Traffic Data Centre database. We used a geographic information system approach to determine census Dissemination Areas and an associated Ontario Marginalization Index (ON-Marg) for each intersection. We performed a logistic regression to examine the associations between the four ON-Marg dimensions (residential instability, material deprivation, dependency, ethnic concentration) and pedestrian and cyclist collisions.
Results
The odds of sustaining a collision were independently associated with residential instability for both pedestrians (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.21-2.84, p=0.006) and cyclists (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.34-3.16, p=0.001). Higher overall collision rates (both pedestrian and cyclist) were associated with both ethnic concentration (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.05-2.37, p=0.033) and residential instability (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.43-3.38, p=0.001). Material deprivation and dependency were not significant risk factors for intersection collisions in this model.
Conclusions
Collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists are more common in areas of increased residential instability and ethnic concentration in Toronto. Intersections in neighbourhoods with these characteristics could be targeted for strategies to reduce pedestrian and cyclist injury risk in urban settings.
Key Words: Pedestrian collisions, cyclist collisions, neighbourhood, social marginalization, risk factors, ON-Marg
Résumé
Objectif
Les collisions avec des piétons et des cyclistes représentent une proportion importante des blessures évitables. En milieu urbain, les taux de collision ont été liés à divers facteurs sociodémographiques. Nous avons voulu déterminer si la marginalisation du quartier a un effet sur les collisions avec des piétons et des cyclistes dans la région du Grand Toronto.
Méthode
Pour 114 intersections, nous avons extrait les données sur les collisions avec des piétons et des cyclistes de la base du Centre de données sur la circulation de Toronto. Nous avons utilisé l’approche d’un système d’information géographique pour déterminer les aires de diffusion du Recensement et associer un indice de marginalisation ontarien (ON-Marg) à chaque intersection. Par régression logistique, nous avons examiné les associations entre les quatre dimensions de l’ON-Marg (instabilité résidentielle, défavorisation matérielle, dépendance, concentration ethnique) et les collisions avec des piétons et des cyclistes.
Résultats
La probabilité de subir une collision était indépendamment associée à l’instabilité résidentielle, tant pour les piétons (RC: 1,84, IC de 95 %: 1,21-2,84, p=0,006) que pour les cyclistes (RC: 2,04, IC de 95 %: 1,34-3,16, p=0,001). Les taux de collision globaux plus élevés (piétons et cyclistes) étaient associés à la fois à la concentration ethnique (RC: 1,56, IC de 95 %: 1,05-2,37, p=0,033) et à l’instabilité résidentielle (RC: 2,16, IC de 95 %: 1,43-3,38, p=0,001). La défavorisation matérielle et la dépendance n’étaient pas des facteurs de risque significatifs pour les collisions aux intersections dans ce modèle.
Conclusions
Les collisions avec des piétons et des cyclistes sont plus courantes dans les zones de Toronto où l’instabilité résidentielle et la concentration ethnique sont élevées. On pourrait cibler les intersections dans les quartiers possédant ces caractéristiques pour réduire les risques de blessures des piétons et des cyclistes en milieu urbain.
Mots Clés: collisions avec des piétons, collisions avec des cyclistes, quartier, marginalisation sociale, facteurs de risque, ON-Marg
Footnotes
Funding: This study received funding by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation — Strategic Teams in Applied Injury Research. The organizations that contributed funds to the research had no role in the design of the study, or the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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