THE EFFECT OF SEAT BELT LEGISLATION ON A DISTRICT GENERAL HOSPITAL

The introduction of legislation making the use of seat belts compulsory was associated with a marked reduction in the number of patients coming to the accident and emergency department of a district general hospital as a result of road traffic accidents. Those patients who were not wearing seat belts required hospital admission twice as often as restrained car occupants. The only deaths occurring during the period of study occurred in those not using seat belts. Rear seat passengers were found to suffer from more severe and more numerous injuries than restrained car occupants. Injuries caused by seat belts were seen, usually causing bruising of the chest wall or minor fractures, and excluding the chest, those wearing seat belts were less likely to suffer an injury to any part of the body than those not protected by a belt. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00201383
• Corporate Authors:

  Wright (John) and Sons, Limited

  42-44 Triangle West
  Bristol,   England 
• Authors:
  • Dreghorn, C R
• Publication Date: 1985-5

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 415-418
• Serial:
  • Injury
  • Volume: 16
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0020-1383
  • EISSN: 1879-0267
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00201383

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Fatalities; Hospitals; Impact studies; Injuries; Injury severity; Laws; Legislation; Manual safety belts; Rear seat occupants; Seats; Thorax; Traffic crashes; Vehicle occupants; Vehicle rear end
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rear; Use
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• ITRD Terms: 1612: Accident rate; 1602: Fatality; 2163: Injury; 1556: Legislation; 9067: Rear; 1476: Safety belt; 1388: Seat (veh); 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 8119: United Kingdom; 9084: Use; 1715: Vehicle occupant
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00399841
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-039 541
• Files: HSL, ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 31 1990 12:00AM