Posted on April 16, 2002 at 11:02 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Properly restraining children in an automobile leads to significantly reduced risk of injury in the event of a vehicle collision, according to new findings from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham). In a paper published in the April issue of the Journal of Trauma, UAB researchers report that properly restrained children were 63 percent less likely to be injured in a crash compared to unrestrained children. The study also reported that children who were seated in safety seats that were not properly installed had the same risk of injury as unrestrained children.
“Our findings indicate that age and size appropriate restraints including car safety seats, booster seats, and seat belts make an overwhelming difference in protecting children when used properly,” says Gerald McGwin Jr., Ph.D., associate director for research at UAB’s Center for Injury Science. “Despite the fact that all 50 states have child-passenger safety laws, too many children are still improperly restrained or unrestrained while riding in motor vehicles.”
Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death among children older than 1 year, McGwin says. More than two million children were involved in serious motor vehicle crashes between 1995 and 1999.
The UAB team studied data on over 1.5 million children up to age 11 obtained from the 1995-1999 National Automotive Sampling System, part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Properly restrained children had an 82 percent reduction in risk for head injury, a 65 percent risk reduction for chest injury, a reduction of 74 percent for lower extremities and a mortality reduction of 74 percent.
“We need educational initiatives to not only encourage parents to use restraints on their children, but also to ensure that parents know the appropriate age-dependent restraint method and how to use it properly,” McGwin says.
McGwin says this is the first study that evaluated the association between restraint use and injury while controlling for specific collision characteristics, such as speed change at impact and vehicle intrusion.
“We found that the protective effect of child restraint systems is independent of the severity of a collision,” McGwin says. “The results of this study indicated that properly restrained children involved in any kind of motor vehicle collision have a decreased risk of all types of moderate to severe injuries.”
McGwin says the study found that approximately 14 percent of all children are unrestrained. The proportion of unrestrained children increased with age, from about 10 percent in the youngest age group to 23 percent in the oldest.
The study also found that many children younger than 4 years old were only restrained with seat belts, which are sized for adults and potentially hazardous to small children. The use of booster seats was uncommon as only 20 percent of children aged 4-7 were restrained in booster seats. Seventy-five percent of children age 8-11 were restrained by seatbelts.
The study was supported by a grant from the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Collaborators on the study include Dr. Loring W. Rue, III, director of the Center for Injury Sciences, Dr. Francesca Valent, Center for Injury Sciences, Dr. William Hardin, associate professor of surgery, and Dr. Carden Johnston, The Children’s Hospital of Alabama.