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Improperly Restrained Children at Risk in Car Crashes
J Pediatr; ePub 2017 May 25; Wolf, et al
A US analysis of motor vehicle-related pediatric deaths provides one more reason to educate parents about the need to buckle their children in—and to make sure they are properly restrained. Using the 2010 to 2014 Fatality Analysis Reporting System to identify children younger than 15 years of age involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents, investigators found the following:
- 15.9% of children died in 18,116 fatal accidents.
- Age-adjusted deaths were associated with unrestrained or inappropriately restrained children and with crashes in rural roads.
- Mortality rates among affected children were highest in Mississippi and lowest in Massachusetts.
- A greater percentage of children also died in states that didn’t have red light camera laws in place.
Citation:
Wolf LL, Chowdhury R, Tweed J, et al. Factors associated with pediatric mortality from motor vehicle crashes in the United States: A state-based analysis. [Published online ahead of print May 25, 2017]. J Pediatr. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.04.044.