PEDIATRICS Vol. 76 No. 3 September 1985, pp. 382-386
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Motor Vehicle Accident Trauma and Restraint Usage Patterns in Children Less Than 4 Years of Age

Phyllis F. Agran MD, MPH1, Debora E. Dunkle PhD1, and Diane G. Winn RN, MPH1

1 From the Department of Pediatrics and Public Policy Research Organization, University of California, Irvine

In a sample of children less than 4 years of age, treated in an emergency room after a motor vehicle accident, 22% were restrained in a child safety seat (improper and proper), 12% were restrained by a vehicle seat belt, and 70% were unrestrained. Trauma and injury patterns related to the various restraint use patterns are described. Most children in safety seats and seat-belted children, if injured, sustained minor contusions, abrasions, or lacerations. Injury among properly restrained children in safety seats was primarily the result of unavoidable mechanisms (eg, flying glass, intrusion). Improper use contributed to injury among safety-seat-restrained children, primarily by allowing the child to hit against the vehicle interior. Seat-belted children also were injured, primarily by hitting against the vehicle interior. Although some of the restrained children were seriously injured, in general, restrained children tended to sustain less serious and fewer injuries than the unrestrained children.

Key Words: motor vehicle injury • restraint • child safety seat • accident

Submitted on October 29, 1984
Accepted on December 18, 1984




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[Abstract] [PDF]