Figure 1). Data between 1979 and 1998 was collected from a variety of sources and is
discussed further below.
The following section briefly reviews the medical literature which documents some of
the improvements in care and technology that have occurred over the last few decades with a
focus on identifying adequate proxies for measuring this change. The statistical methods
used are then discussed and the data which we have used for this analyses is described.
Results are then presented followed by conclusions.
Proxy Variables for Medical Technology Improvements
A central hypothesis of our study is that advances in medical technology and medical
care have played a significant role in reducing fatalities in road accidents. Substantial
evidence suggests that medical technology has improved enormously over the last 20 years.
Cales & Trunkey (1985) review many studies that suggest that many fatalities from traffic
accidents could have been avoided if emergency medical procedures were improved,
irrespective of changes in technology. However, measuring the outcomes of medical
improvements has proven to be quite difficult. Cutler et al. (1998) examine this issue in the
context of developing a medical cost index and conclude that there are large difficulties
involved.
Advances in medical technology have been seen as a major factor behind the
expansion of health care expenditure over several decades (Weisbrod, 1991; Newhouse,
1992). In recent decades extraordinary advances have occurred in many areas of the health
sciences, including genetics, body imaging, microsurgery, transplantation, and in the
technical ability to sustain life. The development of these new medical technologies
continuously serves to increase both quality of life and longevity in the population
(Newhouse, 1992). Technology also includes changes in procedures and management
systems of treating accident victims. Sakr & Wardrope (2000) reviews the evolution of these