Utility Task Vehicle Crashes and Injuries in Iowa

Parker Sternhagen, Undergraduate
Christopher Monson, MD
Gerene Denning, PhD
Charles Jennissen, MD

Side-by-side vehicles, termed recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) but often referred to as utility task vehicles (UTVs), have become increasingly popular and have outsold all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in recent years. Few investigative reports regarding these vehicles have been published. Our study objective was to describe the epidemiology of UTV crashes and injuries in Iowa.

A comprehensive database was created of UTV crashes and injuries by combining data from the Iowa Department of Transportation, State Trauma Registry and Department of Natural Resources, as well as from newspaper articles from 2002-2019. Data of individuals were matched by patient name, gender, date of birth, crash date, and the county where the crash occurred using Link Plus Version 2.0. Frequencies and contingency table analyses were performed with SPSS (Version 29).

UTV crashes involving 448 injured individuals were identified with increasing numbers during the study period. Children <16 years were 31% of the total and 16–17-year-olds were 8.3%. Two-thirds (69%) were male. Passengers were one-third and operators two-thirds of those injured. Only 10 % and 32% were wearing a helmet and a seatbelt, respectively. Of those tested, 13% were positive for alcohol. One-fifth involved a collision with another motor vehicle, 11% were collisions with an object, and most (70%) were non-collision events (rollover/ejection). In nearly two-thirds of the cases the victim fell or was thrown from the vehicle and in a quarter the person was hit or pinned by the vehicle. For those with known location, over three-fifths (61%) occurred on public roadways. In 6% of cases, the individual died. For those with injury data, victims with abnormal Glasgow Coma Scale scores and Injury Severity Scale scores >15 both had increased days in the hospital (p=0.004) and intensive care unit (p<0.001), and crashes on roadways were associated with worse GCS scores (p=0.008). Children <16 years in UTV crashes had higher proportions than those older of being a passenger rather than the driver (52% vs 24%, p<0.001), having the crash occur in the summer (58% vs 38%, p<0.001), having been in a non-collision event such as a rollover or ejection (77% vs 66%, p=0.019), and of being hit/pinned by the vehicle (41% vs 19%, p<0.001). Children had lower proportions than those ?16 years of being involved in a crash on public roadways (52% vs 65%, p=0.019), having alcohol involved (0% vs 18%, p<0.001), and having a nighttime crash (9% vs 31%, p<0.001). Those who were hit or pinned by the vehicle had higher proportions who were in a non-collision event (37% vs 8%, p<0.001) and were off-road (55% vs 9%, p<0.001). Victims thrown or ejected had higher proportions that were hit or pinned by the vehicle (42% vs 10%, p<0.001).

UTV crashes and injuries are increasing in frequency and often associated with severe injuries. Driving on public roads and not wearing a seat belt were associated with more severe outcomes/injuries.

1. Describe factors that put individuals, especially children, at risk when on a UTV.
2. Discuss why UTVs are at particular risk for crash and injury on public roads.
3. State at least 3 safety practices that decrease the risk of crash and injury when on UTVs.