Killed or Seriously Injured
Encyclopedia
Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) is a standard metric for safety policy, particularly in transportation and road safety.
Figures for the number of people seriously injured typically being an order of magnitude larger than the number of people killed and are therefor more likely to be statistically significant
. However, classification of serious injuries is open to opinion, by medical staff or by non-medical professionals, such as police officers and may therefore vary over time and between places.
Figures for slight injuries are considered highly unreliable, largely due to under-reporting where injuries are self-treated.
United Kingdom definitions
- Killed: The usual international definition, as adopted by the Vienna ConventionVienna ConventionVienna Convention can mean any of a number of treaties signed in Vienna. Notable are:* several treaties and conventions resulted from the Congress of Vienna which redrew the map of Europe, only partially restoring the pre-Napoleonic situation, and drafted new rules for international relations*...
in 1968 is 'A human casualty who dies with 30 days after the collision due to injuries received in the crash'. - Serious injury: The definition is less clear-cut a may vary more over time and in different places. The UK definition covers injury resulting in a person being detained in hospital as an in-patientPatentA patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
, in addition all injuries causing: fracturesBone fractureA bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
, concussion, internal injuries, crushings, burns (excluding friction burnFriction burnA friction burn is a form of abrasion caused by friction when a person's skin rubs against a surface. It may also be referred to as "skinning", "chafing," or called by the surface which caused the burn...
s), severe cuts, severe general shockAcute stress reactionAcute stress reaction is a psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying or traumatic event...
which require medical treatment even if this does not result in a stay in hospital as an in-patient. - Slight injury: Sprain (including neck whiplash injury), bruising or cuts which are not judged to be severe. Also slight shock requiring roadside assistance.
United States definitions
The definitions used in the USA are as follows:- Fatal injury. To be used where death occurs within thirty consecutive 24-hour time periods from the time of the crash.
- Incapacitating injury. Any injury, other than a fatal injury, which prevents the injured person from walking, driving or normally continuing the activities the person was capable of performing before the injury occurred. This includes: severe lacerations, broken or distorted limbs, skull or chest injuries, abdominal injuries, unconsciousness at or when taken from the crash scene, and unable to leave the crash scene without assistance. Does not include momentary unconsciousness.
- Non-incapacitating evident injury: Any injury, other than a fatal injury or an incapacitating injury, which is evident to observers at the scene of the crash in which the injury occurred. This includes: lump on head, abrasions, bruises and minor lacerations. This does not include limping unless any actual injury can be seen.
Issues
Figures for fatalities are normal highly reliable in industrialised countries and few if any fatalities go unrecorded. Fatality figures are however often too low making it hard to see trends over time for one place.Figures for the number of people seriously injured typically being an order of magnitude larger than the number of people killed and are therefor more likely to be statistically significant
Statistical significance
In statistics, a result is called statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance. The phrase test of significance was coined by Ronald Fisher....
. However, classification of serious injuries is open to opinion, by medical staff or by non-medical professionals, such as police officers and may therefore vary over time and between places.
Figures for slight injuries are considered highly unreliable, largely due to under-reporting where injuries are self-treated.
See also
- Epidemiology of motor vehicle collisions
- Reported Road Casualties Great Britain