Injury patterns associated with child restraint misuse

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Gotschall, Catherine S.¹; Eichelberger, Martin R.¹; Morrissey, J. Rene¹; Better, Allison I.¹; Reardon, Jean¹; Bents, Francis²

Injury patterns associated with child restraint misuse

Proceedings of the 2nd Child Occupant Protection Symposium

Affiliations

¹Children's National Medical Center

²Dynamic Science, Inc.
Abstract

This study investigates the role of restraint misuse in pediatric motor vehicle trauma. Restrained children ages 0-12 years who were injured in motor vehicle crashes and admitted to a trauma center were studied. Restraint use was determined via crash reconstruction. Clinical data were collected prospectively and analyzed with respect to injury severity, and cost. Restraint misuse was found for 84% of children. Incorrectly restrained children experienced a higher mean ISS than correctly restrained children (12.3 vs. 7.1; p = 0.05) and incurred medical charges more than 2 times higher (US$36,839 vs. $15,004; p = 0.013). Case presentations illustrate patterns of injury associated with types of misuse. Incorrect restraint use is associated with greater injury severity and higher medical charges.
Links

DOI: 10.4271/973311

SAE: 973311

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Cited By (10)

Year	Entry
1998	Gotschall CS, Dougherty DJ, Eichelberger MR, Bents FD. Traffic-related injuries to children: lessons from real world crashes. In: 42nd Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 5-7, 1998; Charlottesville, VA.165-177.
2002	Sherwood CP, Shaw CG, van Rooij L, Kent RW, Gupta PK, Crandall JR, Orzechowski KM, Eichelberger MR, Kallieris D. Prediction of cervical spine injury risk for the 6-year-old child in frontal crashes. In: 46th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 30–October 2, 2002; Tempe, AZ.
2006	Brown J, Bilston L. High back booster seats: in the field and in the laboratory. In: 50th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 16-18, 2006; Chicago, IL.365-379.
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2003	Parenteau C, Viano DC. Field data analysis of rear occupant injuries, II: children, toddlers and infants. In: Proceedings of the SAE World Congress & Exhibition. March 3-6, 2003; Detroit, MI. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE 2003-01-0154.
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