Citation

Wittenberg E, Goldie SJ, Graham JD. Pediatrics 2001; 108(2): 438-442.

Affiliation

Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. eve_wittenberg@dfci.harvard.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11483812

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in children ages 5 to 14. Children seated in the front seats of vehicles are at increased risk of death and injury in crashes, particularly in vehicles with passenger-side air bags. This study identifies factors associated with the seating of children in the front seats of vehicles involved in fatal crashes between 1990 and 1998. METHODS: Using 1990 to 1998 data from the Fatal Analysis Reporting System, a US census of motor vehicle crashes involving a fatality, multivariable logistic regression was used to model the association between child seating behavior and vehicle, driver, and occupant characteristics. RESULTS: The proportion of vehicles carrying children in the front declined from 42% to 31% over the 9-year period. Controlling for driver and vehicle characteristics, the risk of front-seating declined between 1990 and 1998, and this risk was smaller in vehicles carrying only younger children (