Traffic injury prevention
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2015
Census study of real-life near-side crashes with modern side airbag-equipped vehicles in the United States.
This study aimed to investigate the crash characteristics, injury distribution, and injury mechanisms for Maximum Abbreviated Injury Score (MAIS) 2+ injured belted, near-side occupants in airbag-equipped modern vehicles. Furthermore, differences in injury distribution for senior occupants compared to non-senior occupants was investigated, as well as whether the near-side occupant injury risk to the head and thorax increases or decreases with a neighboring occupant. ⋯ Compared to non-senior occupants, the senior occupants sustained a considerably higher rate of thoracic and pelvis injuries, which should be addressed by improved thorax side airbag protection. The influence on near-side occupant injury risk by the neighboring occupant should also be further evaluated. Furthermore, side airbag performance and injury assessments in intersection crashes, especially those involving senior occupants in lower severities, should be further investigated and side impact dummy biofidelity and injury criteria must be determined for these crash scenarios.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2014
Detailed analysis of pedestrian casualty collisions in Victoria, Australia.
Pedestrian road trauma is significant in Australia and requires in-depth understanding to improve or inform new countermeasures. Analyses on single data sources can be limited. This study investigated demographic, behavioral, environmental, and collision characteristics of pedestrian injury in Victoria, Australia, over a 5-year period using multiple data sources. ⋯ Findings indicate pedestrian serious injury rates are increasing and identify targets for countermeasures. Inherent limitations present in each relevant data collection require mutliple data sets to be explored and results contrasted. Jurisdictions seeking to determine pedestrian injury risk factors should aim to link police and hospital data for a complete analysis.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2014
Explaining Chile's traffic fatality and injury reduction for 2000-2012.
The objective of the current study is to determine the contribution of Chile's 2005 traffic law reform, police enforcement, and road investment infrastructure to the reduction of traffic fatalities and severe injuries from 2000 to 2012. ⋯ Results suggest that traffic law reform, police enforcement, and road infrastructure investment have complex interwoven effects that can reduce both traffic fatalities and severe injuries. Though traffic reforms are ultimately designed to change road user behaviors at large, it is also important to acknowledge that legislative changes may require institutional changes--that is, intensification of police enforcement--and be supported by road infrastructure investment, in order to effectively decrease traffic fatalities and injuries. Furthermore, depending on how road safety measures are designed, coordinated, and implemented, their effects on different types of road users vary. The case of Chile illustrates how the diffusion of road safety practices globally promoted by the World Health Organization and World Bank, particularly in 2004, can be an important influence to enhance national road safety practices.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2014
Spinal fracture-dislocations and spinal cord injuries in motor vehicle crashes.
This study estimated the annual count of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in motor vehicles crashes by type and seat belt use using 18 years of NASS-CDS data. It determined the rate for SCI and fracture-dislocation of the spine. ⋯ Spinal cord injury occurred in one out of 1,860 front seat occupants in tow-away crashes. The rate was highest in rollover crashes and was reduced by seat belt use. Fracture-dislocation of the spine occurred about 5.3 times more often than SCIs and was also prevented by seat belt use.
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Traffic injury prevention · Jan 2014
Crash characteristics and injury patterns of restrained front seat occupants in far-side impacts.
The study was conducted to determine the association between vehicle-, crash-, and demographic-related factors and injuries to front seat far-side occupants in modern environments. ⋯ The findings are as follows: head and thorax are the more frequently injured body regions, and the prevalence of cranium injuries is similar at both injury severities; thoracic injuries are more prevalent at the MAIS 3+ level; the presence of another front seat occupant plays a role in MAIS 3+ trauma; injuries continue to occur at changes in velocity representative of side impact environments; and mean demographic factors are close to mid-size automotive anthropometry, indicating the need to pursue this line of study. Because data were gathered from only 4 years, it would be important to include additional NASS-CDS database years, rescore injuries from previous years, and analyze other international databases to reinforce these findings for advancing safety for far-side occupants.