The impact of a new casino on the motor vehicle crash patterns in suburban Maryland

• Published in: Accident analysis and prevention Vol. 142; p. 105554
• Main Authors: Kufera, Joseph A., Al-Hadidi, Ahmad, Knopp, Daniel G., Dezman, Zachary D.W., Kerns, Timothy J., Okedele, Olasunmbo Eva, Rosenthal, Geoffrey L., Tracy, J. Kathleen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2020
• Subjects: Epidemiology; Gambling; Motor vehicle crash; Motor vehicle crash; Epidemiology; Gambling
• ISSN: 0001-4575; 1879-2057
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2020.105554

•A new casino in suburban Maryland changed the characteristics of nearby crashes.•Crashes were more likely to occur near the casino after it opened (OR 1.23).•Crashes were more likely to occur on weekends (OR 1.39, 95 % CI: 1.15–1.67).•Drivers <40 years old were more likely to crash within a mile of the casino (OR 1.74).•Neither gender (OR 0.86) nor time of day (OR = 1.13) were significant.
Many states have legalized casino gambling, and casinos create increased vehicle traffic, but the strength of the association between casino construction and vehicle crashes is unknown.
Retrospective analyses of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) occurring within Anne Arundel County, Maryland (2010–2014) were conducted. The ratio of crashes within one mile of the casino’s location after it was opened were compared to the ratio occurring in the same area before it was opened to determine how the incidence of MVCs near the casino changed with time. Logistic regression was used to determine how crash characteristics may have influenced the incidence of MVCs near the casino after it opened.
101,860 persons were involved in 43,328 MVCs in Anne Arundel County during the study period; 29,476 (68.0 %) had an at-fault driver ≥21 years of age and complete data. MVCs proximal to the casino occurred most commonly during the day (N = 421, 76.6 %) and involved drivers <40 years of age (N = 366, 66.6 %) and male (N = 316, 57.4 %). After adjustment for impairment and day of the week, there was a significant association with crashes close to the casino after it opened (ORAdjusted = 1.23, 95 % CI: 1.04–1.46, p = 0.02). Crashes occurring close to the casino, after it opened, involved drivers <40 years of age (OR = 1.74, 95 % CI:1.45–2.08) and occurred on weekends (OR = 1.39, 95 %CI:1.15–1.67).
In this single-site study the opening of a casino was associated with an increase in crashes nearby. The generalizability of this finding should be confirmed with analysis of MVC data near other gambling venues.