Citation

Brown J, Bilston LE. Proc. Australas. Road Safety Res. Policing Educ. Conf. 2008; 12.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, copyright holder varies, Publisher Monash University)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a multivariate analysis of factors predicting injury outcome in restrained child occupants. The analysis is based on a sample of 152 children aged between 2 and 8 years collected through retrospective review of medical records at a children's hospital over a 30 month period. The crash severity measure used was based on the rating of ambulance officers attending the scene of the crash. Ambulance officers rated the crash as minor, moderate or severe based on visual assessment of the damage to the vehicle, and reported impact speeds. The analysis demonstrates a significant association between crash severity measured in this manner and injury severity, before and after adjustment for other potential confounders. This association reveals the potential for more widespread use of this relatively simple measure to obtain a de facto estimate of crash severity. Together with a previously reported validation exercise, these results indicate that a visual estimation of crash severity made by on-scene emergency personnel may be an under-utilized source of data. This issue warrants further investigation by those interested in collecting and analyzing mass crash data.