Originally published September 26 2005
How to safeguard children in side-impact crashes
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Vehicle safety research shows children are best protected from side impact collisions when they are properly restrained with a seatbelt or car seat, depending on age, and when they are with other passengers in the backseat, and for children ages four to eight, booster seats with high backs are the safest option.
The original findings are based on real-world crash data from Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS), a research partnership of Children's Hospital and State Farm Insurance Companies.
In addition to the new findings, PCPS research being presented at the conference confirms that children riding in passenger cars and light truck vehicles, such as SUVs, are at increased risk of injury in a side-impact crash when their vehicle is struck by a light truck.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42 percent of child fatalities to rear-seated children ages 0 to 8 years occur in side-impact collisions.
Overall, side-impact crashes kill about 300 American children under age 8 each year and result in more severe injuries at lower crash severities than frontal collisions.
The Children's Hospital researchers hope the new findings provide NHTSA and the auto industry with information that can be used to enhance performance testing and safety design that take into account the unique safety needs of child occupants.
"In addition to providing new insights into child occupant safety in side-impact crashes, our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of using age- and size- appropriate restraints and rear seating in preventing injuries in this crash direction," said Kristy Arbogast.
* Belt-positioning booster seats provided a 58 percent overall reduction in risk of injury to 4-to 8-year-olds in side-impact crashes as compared with seat belts alone.
Most of the injuries to children seated in backless booster seats were head injuries.
The data suggests that development of a restraint system that limits side-to-side motion would be effective in reducing injury during side-impact crashes.
* Initial analyses showed that head injuries were the most frequent injury in all seating positions, with struck-side and center-seated occupants having similar risks of injury and non-struck side occupants at the lowest risk of injury.
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