Serious Injury is Associated with Suboptimal Restraint Use in Child Motor Vehicle Occupants

This article reports on a study undertaken to investigate the relationship between restraint usage (child seats, seat belts) and injury outcome in motor vehicle occupants aged 2–8 years (n = 152). The authors conducted a retrospective case review of all child occupants presenting at the Children's Hospital at Westmead (New South Wales, Australia) between July 2002 and January 2005 for injuries associated with a motor vehicle crash. Injury severity was assessed in terms of the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), and organized by age and type of restraint. While nearly all of the children (94%) used some restraint, most (82%) used a suboptimal form of restraint. Injury severity between optimally-restrained children and suboptimally-restrained children differed significantly, with suboptimally-restrained children receiving a greater proportion of moderate to severe (AIS 2+) injuries. No optimally-restrained child sustained an AIS 2+ injury. The authors note that while the use of restraints designed for older children or adults, such as seat belts, fulfills legal obligations, this is suboptimal restraint use and results in more severe injuries. They conclude that there are significant benefits to be gained by encouraging children to use appropriate restraint for their size.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/10344810
• Authors:
  • Brown, Julie
  • McCaskill, Mary E
  • Henderson, Michael
  • Bilston, Lynne E
• Publication Date: 2006-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 345-349
• Serial:
  • Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
  • Volume: 42
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
  • ISSN: 1034-4810
  • EISSN: 1440-1754
  • Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1440-1754

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Booster seats; Child restraint systems; Children; Crash injuries; Epidemiology; Injury severity; Risk assessment; Seat belts
• Uncontrolled Terms: Morbidity
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I84: Personal Injuries; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01042679
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 25 2007 8:50PM