Citation

Ryan GA. Pediatrics 1969; 44(5): 847-854.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1969, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The part that children play in traffic accidents has been studied by numerous workers from differing points of view. Slätis,1 in a study of 5,291 persons injured in traffic accidents and receiving medical treatment in Sweden, found that 16.3% were less than 15 years of age. An examination by Mackay2 of a series of 250 accidents investigated at the scene in Birmingham, England, found that children less than 16 years of age formed 6.2% of the 464 persons involved. In Brisbane, Australia, Jamieson and Tait3 found that children less than 15 years old formed 10.9% of a group of 1,000 admissions or deaths from traffic accidents. Gädeke4 in Germany, found children less than 15 years old were injured more often in rural accidents, that traffic accidents formed 35 to 40% of all fatal accidents in children, and that injuries to the head and lower limb were most common. In Sweden, Ekström, et al.5 found that the majority of children involved in accidents they studied were pedestrians or pedal cyclists, and 40% were between 5 and 9 years old. Moore and Lilienfeld6 reported on 31,001 occupants of known age in 14,520 automobiles involved in injury-producing accidents on rural highways in the United States. They found that children less than 12 years of age formed 9%, adolescents age 12 to 18 years formed 16%, and adults of more than 18 years formed 75%. They found that children received fewer and less severe injuries than adolescents or adults, in each seating position. Front seat passengers in each age group were injured more often and more severely than rear seat passengers.

Language: en