The data for the Motor Vehicle Crash Variables and Outcomes for Drivers MICA were developed by linking records for motor vehicle crashes to ambulance trip records, records for hospital admissions and emergency room visits. Linking a driver’s crash reco rd to his/her health care records allows one to relate motor vehicle crash characteristics (such as safety belt use, helmet use, crash type etc) to the severity, type, likelihood and costs of injuries. Thus the combined data allow a more powerful analysis of motor vehicle crashes and their outcomes than do the individual data sets.
These linked files are known as the Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES). CODES data are developed through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with the help and financial assistance of the Missouri Highway Patrol. Be cause of the substantial resources required to link and analyze the files, CODES data are only available for 1993 and 1996.
The motor vehicle crash records are provided by the Missouri Highway Patrol. The ambulance and hospital records to which they were linked are owned by the Missouri Department of Health. Counts of driver records from this MICA may not match those in Hig hway Patrol publications due to differences in the style and purposes of the publications.
Users of this MICA are encouraged to obtain the Missouri Crash Outcome Data System (CODES) reports for 1993 and 1996. These reports contain a more complete explanation of the development of the files as well as data not contained in the M ICA. Due to the manner in which the MICA is developed, the tables you create in the MICA may not exactly match the tables in the CODES reports. For example, drivers who use only shoulder straps are shown as a separate category in the two CODES reports; wh ereas in this MICA they are combined with drivers who were recorded as not using safety belts.
Other considerations that need to be noted when using the data provided in this MICA and the CODES reports can be found under "Variables and Issues Information."
Definitions for terms used in the MICA can be found under "Definitions."
Any questions about data contained in this MICA should be referred to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Health Informatics at (573) 751-6272. Copies of the CODES reports can also be obtained by calling this phone number.