Traffic injury prevention
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2012
Effects of booster seat laws on injury risk among children in crashes.
Belt-positioning booster seats have been shown to reduce injury risk among child passengers aged 4 to 8 in motor vehicle crashes. To encourage the use of booster seats, many states have enacted laws that require the use of either a child restraint with internal harness or a belt-positioning booster seat, but the specific age range covered by the laws varies by state. Previous studies have found evidence that booster seat laws are effective in reducing injury risk among children, but these studies primarily have included states with younger age requirements (e.g., ages 4-6) for booster seats. The objective of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of booster seat laws in several states that cover children through age 7 or 8. ⋯ Results provide evidence that booster seat laws are effective in increasing the use of child safety seats, increasing the placement of children in rear seats, and reducing injuries, especially severe injuries, among children covered by the laws.
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Passenger cars often are at a disadvantage when colliding with light trucks (sport utility vehicles [SUVs] and pickups) due to differences in mass, vehicle structural alignment, and stiffness. In 2003, vehicle manufacturers agreed to voluntary measures to improve compatibility, especially in front-to-front and front-to-side crashes, with full adherence to be achieved by September 2009. This study examined whether fatality rates are consistent with the expected benefit of this agreement. ⋯ It is impossible to disentangle the individual contributions of the compatibility agreement, improved crashworthiness of cars, and other factors in reducing car crash partner fatality rates. However, the generally larger reductions in car crash partner death rates for SUVs and pickups indicate the likely benefits of the agreement. Overall, this study finds that the system of regulatory testing, voluntary industry initiatives, and consumer information testing has led to a passenger vehicle fleet that is much more compatible in crashes.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2012
Potential benefits of underride guards in large truck side crashes.
To evaluate the maximum potential for side underride guards (SUGs) to reduce passenger vehicle occupant fatalities and injuries in crashes with large trucks in the United States. ⋯ Structural incompatibility was a common factor in LTCCS crashes between passenger vehicles and the sides of large trucks. SUGs could have reduced injury risk in around three fourths of the crashes that produced an AIS ≥ 3 injury or fatality. Most of these crashes involved semi-trailers. However, the necessary strength and location of these SUGs present technical challenges that need to be addressed.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2012
Epidemiologic study of road traffic injuries by road user type characteristics and road environment in Iran: a community-based approach.
Crash injuries in traffic accidents are affected by a variety of factors. In this study we analyzed road user type information based on different contributing factors. ⋯ Because pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users, stricter legislation and law enforcement should be used to protect them. Greater protection can also be reached by holding effective public awareness campaigns on how to use different roads safely. On the other hand, because rear seat passengers are at the same risk for road traffic injuries as front seat passengers, employment of newer laws and preventive measures targeting this group of occupants can prevent many road traffic injuries (RTIs).
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2012
The effect on road safety of a modal shift from car to bicycle.
To describe and apply a method to assess the effect on road safety of a modal shift from cars to bicycles. ⋯ It is possible to provide a first approximation of the effect on road safety of a mobility shift from cars to bicycles. This approximation indicates that, in general, road safety does not benefit from this modal shift. The effect differs for gender and age groups. Elderly drivers are safer inside a car than on a bicycle. For the number of hospitalized casualties, the modal shift increases the number of casualties for practically all ages and both genders.