Analysis of child-vehicle collision injuries by vehicle type.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the severity of injuries to each body region of child pedestrians struck by different types of vehicles.

METHODS: We collected in-depth data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis on pedestrians younger than 13 years with any bodily injuries from collisions with vehicles between 1993 and 2004.

RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients with a mean age of 6.9 ± 2.4 years were included in the study. In collisions, vehicles caused higher Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores than those from impact with the road. Injury Severity Score and AIS values were higher with one-box or sports utility vehicles compared with those in sedan vehicles, but the differences were not statistically significant. The mean AIS score of head injuries was significantly higher with one-box or sports utility vehicles than that with sedans (1.6 ± 2.1 vs 0.5 ± 1.1, P < .05). The mean AIS score of the lower extremities was significantly higher with sedans than that with one-box or sports utility vehicles (1.2 ± 1.0 vs 0.5 ± 0.9, P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS: The type and severity of injuries in child-car collisions vary by type of vehicle and pedestrian kinematics.