The effect of seating position on risk of injury for children in side impact collisions

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Durbin, Dennis R.^1,2; Elliott, Michael²; Arbogast, Kristy B.¹; Anderko, Rebecca L.²; Winston, Flaura K.¹

The effect of seating position on risk of injury for children in side impact collisions

45th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)

Affiliations

¹The Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

²The Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of seating position on risk of injury to children in side impact crashes. 5,632 children under age 16 in side impact crashes were enrolled as part of an on-going crash surveillance system which links insurance claims data to telephone survey and crash investigation data. Children seated in the front seat were at higher risk of significant injury than children seated in the rear (OR = 2.2 95% CI (1.2-3.8)). After adjusting for age, restraint use, and vehicle damage, children in the front seat were more likely to be injured (OR 2.6 95% CI (1.1- 6.2)) than children seated in the rear when the child was sitting near the side of the impact. These results highlight the importance of evaluating the safety performance of both vehicles and restraint systems for children in side impact crashes.

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Cited By (8)

Year	Entry
2005	Arbogast KB, Kallan MJ, Durbin DR. Effectiveness of high back and backless belt-positioning booster seats in side impact crashes. In: 49th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 12-14, 2005; Boston, MA.201-213.
2005	Maltese MR, Chen IG, Arbogast KB. Effect of increased rear row occupancy on injury to seat belt restrained children in side impact crashes. In: 49th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 12-14, 2005; Boston, MA.229-243.
2005	Maltese MR, Chen IG, Arbogast KB. The effect of rear row seating position on the risk of injury to belted children in side impacts in passenger cars. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.
2005	Arbogast KB, Jermakian JS, Ghati Y, Smith R, Maltese MR, Menon RA. Predictors and patterns of pediatric head injury in motor vehicle crashes. In: Proceedings of the 2005 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 21-23, 2005; Prague, Czech Republic.15-27.
2007	Locey CM, Jermakian JS, Arbogast KB, Nance ML, Maltese MR. Injury mechanisms in belt restrained children in side impact crashes. In: Proceedings of the 3rd Ohio State University Injury Biomechanics Symposium. May 21-22, 2007; Columbus, OH.
2004	Arbogast KB, Chen I, Nance ML, Durbin DR, Winston FK. Predictors of pediatric abdominal injury risk. Stapp Car Crash J. 2004;48:479-494. SAE 2004-22-0021.
2007	Maltese MR, Locey CM, Jermakian JS, Nance ML, Arbogast KB. Injury causation scenarios in belt-restrained nearside child occupants. Stapp Car Crash J. 2007;51:299-311. SAE 2007-22-0013.
2005	Durbin DR, Chen I, Smith R, Elliott MR, Winston FK. Effects of seating position and appropriate restraint use on the risk of injury to children in motor vehicle crashes. Pediatrics. March 2005;115(3):e305-e309.