Australian parental decisions about transitioning children from booster seats in a randomised trial: greater support may be needed.

Background: Premature graduation to an adult seatbelt is common and detrimental to optimal crash protection. While there is an existing tool (the ) to support a parent's decision to graduate their child, its effectiveness is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the .

The effects of postural support padding modifications to child restraints for children with disability on crash protection.

Objective: Many children with physical disabilities need additional postural support when sitting and supplementary padding is used on standards approved child restraints to achieve this when traveling in a motor vehicle. However, the effect of this padding on crash protection for a child is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of additional padding for postural support on crash protection for child occupants in forward facing child restraints.

Comparative analysis of off-road vehicle crashes in children: motorcycles versus quad bikes.

Objective: To characterise and compare off-road motorcycle and quad bike crashes in children in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed of children aged 0-16 years, admitted to hospitals in NSW, from 2001 to 2018 following an injury sustained in an off-road motorcycle or quad bike crash, using linked hospital admissions, mortality and census data.Motorcycle and quad bike injuries were compared regarding: demographics; incidence; body region injured and type of injury; injury severity based on the survival risk ratio; length of stay and mortality.

Mitigating fuel tank syndrome pelvic injuries - is there potential for rider worn protectors?

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of rider-worn pelvis protection for mitigating injury risk when contacting the motorcycle fuel tank in a crash.

Methods: A newly developed test apparatus was designed and constructed to simulate the interaction between a rider's pelvis and the motorcycle fuel tank in a frontal crash. Impacts were performed at a velocity of 18 km/h into four motorcycle fuel tanks.

Neck Loads During Head-First Entries into Trampoline Dismount Foam Pits: Considerations for Trampoline Park Safety.

Serious cervical spine injuries have been documented from falls into foam pits at trampoline parks. To address the lack of evidence on how foam pits should be designed for mitigating neck injury risk, this study aimed to quantify neck loads during head-first entry into varying foam pit designs. An instrumented Hybrid III anthropomorphic test device was dropped head-first from a height of up to 1.

Head excursion in frontal impacts is lower in high back booster seats than in forward facing child seats with internal harnesses designed for children up to 8 years of age.

Objective: It is often assumed that a child restraint with a five or six-point internal harness provides greater protection for children in frontal crashes than a booster seat with a lap-sash seat belt. However, most research comparing these restraint types has focused on protection for children aged up to approximately 3-4 years of age. Recently, harnessed child restraints for older children up to approximately 8 years of age have become available, but there is little data on their performance compared to booster seats for children over 4 years of age.

Can Age or Height Define Appropriate Thresholds for Transition to Adult Seat Belts? An Analysis of Observed Seat Belt Fit in Children Aged 7-12 Years.

This study aimed to investigate associations between demographic, anthropometric and vehicle factors and the fit of adult seat belts in children aged 7-12 years in passenger vehicles. Seat belt fit was assessed by inspection of 7-12-year-old children in their own cars. Logistic regressions examined associations between anthropometric and vehicle factors on achieving good seat belt fit.

Comparative performance of rearward and forward-facing child restraint systems with common use errors: Effect on crash injury risk for a 1-year-old occupant.

Objective: To compare how errors in child restraint use influence crash injury risk in rearward and forward-facing restraints for a 1-year old occupant.

Methods: Three convertible child restraint systems (CRS) were subjected to frontal dynamic sled tests at 56 km/h in rearward-facing and forward-facing modes in a correct use (baseline) condition and in five incorrect use conditions: loose securing belt, loose harness, partial harness use, top tether slack, and three minor errors. Excursion, head, and chest 3 ms resultant acceleration, HIC15, and neck forces and moments of a Q1 anthropomorphic test device (ATD) seated in the restraints were measured.

The diagnostic precision of computed tomography for traumatic cervical spine injury: An in vitro biomechanical investigation.

Background: CT is considered the best method for vertebral fracture detection clinically, but its efficacy in laboratory studies is unknown. Therefore, our objective was to determine the sensitivity, precision, and specificity of high-resolution CT imaging compared to detailed anatomic dissection in an axial compression and lateral bending cervical spine biomechanical injury model.

Methods: 35 three-vertebra human cadaver cervical spine specimens were impacted in dynamic axial compression (0.

The effect of end condition on spine segment biomechanics in compression with lateral eccentricity.

During axial impact compression of the cervical spine, injury outcome is highly dependent on initial posture of the spine and the orientation, frictional properties and stiffness of the impact surface. These properties influence the "end condition" the spine experiences in real-world impacts. The effect of end condition on compression and sagittal plane bending in laboratory experiments is well-documented.

Dynamic frontal crash performance of old and used child restraint systems.

Objective: To examine the effect of age on the dynamic performance of child restraint systems in frontal crashes.

Methods: A sample of used (3-269 months from manufacture) and newly purchased child restraints were subjected to frontal crash simulations of more than 56 km/h and peak deceleration approximately 33 g on a deceleration sled. Restraints were monitored for evidence of damage before and after each impact.

Population-Level Incidence and Use-Related Factors of Comfort and Orthopedic Accessories Among Older Vehicle Occupants in NSW, Australia.

The proportion of people aged 65 years and older regularly traveling in motor vehicles continues to grow worldwide. In a previous convenience sample, we observed many older people using comfort accessories when traveling in vehicles, and these may contribute to the known increased risk of injury in crashes among older people. In this study, we aimed to estimate population-level use of these devices and examine associations between demographic, health, and travel behavior factors and their use.

The Effect of Compression Applied Through Constrained Lateral Eccentricity on the Failure Mechanics and Flexibility of the Human Cervical Spine.

In contrast to sagittal plane spine biomechanics, little is known about the response of the cervical spine to axial compression with lateral eccentricity of the applied force. This study evaluated the effect of lateral eccentricity on the kinetics, kinematics, canal occlusion, injuries, and flexibility of the cervical spine in translationally constrained axial impacts. Eighteen functional spinal units were subjected to flexibility tests before and after an impact.

A neck compression injury criterion incorporating lateral eccentricity.

There is currently no established injury criterion for the spine in compression with lateral load components despite this load combination commonly contributing to spinal injuries in rollover vehicle crashes, falls and sports. This study aimed to determine an injury criterion and accompanying tolerance values for cervical spine segments in axial compression applied with varying coronal plane eccentricity. Thirty-three human cadaveric functional spinal units were subjected to axial compression at three magnitudes of lateral eccentricity of the applied force.

Restraint Factors and Child Passenger Deaths in New South Wales, Australia.

Inappropriate or incorrect use of child restraints can influence crash injury outcome. This study examined the role of restraint factors in child passenger deaths and the effect of legislation requiring appropriate restraint systems up to 7 years old. Data for child (0-12 years) passenger deaths occurring in New South Wales (NSW) from 2007 to 2016 were collected by the child death review team including photographs, reports of in-depth crash investigation, witness reports and medical reports.

Frontal crash seat belt restraint effectiveness and comfort accessories used by older occupants.

Around a quarter of older occupants use some type of comfort or orthopedic aftermarket accessory on the vehicle seat while traveling in a vehicle. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of comfort accessories on the performance of the seat belt restraint system in a frontal crash in terms of potential injury implications for older occupants. Eight frontal sled tests (43 km/h, 32 ) were carried out on a deceleration sled fitted with a three-point lap-sash seat belt and a front passenger seat from a common Australian passenger car for each test.

A review of impact testing methods for headgear in sports: Considerations for improved prevention of head injury through research and standards.

Standards for sports headgear were introduced as far back as the 1960s and many have remained substantially unchanged to present day. Since this time, headgear has virtually eliminated catastrophic head injuries such as skull fractures and changed the landscape of head injuries in sports. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is now a prevalent concern and the effectiveness of headgear in mitigating mTBI is inconclusive for most sports.

A novel helmet-mounted device for reducing the potential of catastrophic cervical spine fractures and spinal cord injuries in head-first impacts.

Background: Head-first impacts with an aligned cervical spine cause some of the most severe types of injuries due to the risk of fractures and associated spinal cord injury. Sports, such as football, mountain biking and horseback riding, contribute to the incidence of spinal cord injury but there is potential to reduce the risk of these injuries through a helmet-mounted device.

Methods: A novel device, the Pro-Neck-Tor mechanism, was incorporated into a commercial football helmet and tested in head-first impact experiments.

Energy attenuation performance of impact protection worn by motorcyclists in real-world crashes.

Objective: Laboratory studies have demonstrated that impact protectors (IP) used in motorcycle clothing can reduce fracture severities. While crash studies have reported IP are associated with reduced likelihood of soft tissue injury, there is little evidence of their effectiveness in reducing fracture likelihood. This discrepancy might be related to IP quality.

Defining the biomechanical and biological threshold of murine mild traumatic brain injury using CHIMERA (Closed Head Impact Model of Engineered Rotational Acceleration).

CHIMERA (Closed Head Impact Model of Engineered Rotational Acceleration) is a recently described animal model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that primarily produces diffuse axonal injury (DAI) characterized by white matter inflammation and axonal damage. CHIMERA was specifically designed to reliably generate a variety of TBI severities using precise and quantifiable biomechanical inputs in a nonsurgical user-friendly platform. The objective of this study was to define the lower limit of single impact mild TBI (mTBI) using CHIMERA by characterizing the dose-response relationship between biomechanical input and neurological, behavioral, neuropathological and biochemical outcomes.