Risk and Protective Factors for Injury in Adult Front- and Rear-Seated Motor Vehicle Occupants in New York State.

Int J Environ Res Public Health

Departments of Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.

Published: May 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Seatbelt use significantly reduces the risk of injury and death in vehicle crashes, but rear-seated adults are less likely to wear them compared to those in the front seat.
  • A study analyzed data from nearly 1 million adults involved in crashes in New York, finding that rear-seated occupants had a 1.5 times higher mortality rate and were more often unrestrained.
  • Factors like speeding, a drinking driver, and older vehicles were linked to higher injury severity, highlighting that unrestrained rear-seated occupants face greater risks than their restrained front-seated counterparts.

Article Abstract

Although seatbelt use is known to reduce motor vehicle occupant crash injury and death, rear-seated adult occupants are less likely to use restraints. This study examines risk and protective factors associated with injury severity in front- and rear-seated adults involved in a motor vehicle crash in New York State. The Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) (2016-2017) was used to examine injury severity in front- and rear-seated occupants aged 18 years or older ( = 958,704) involved in a motor vehicle crash. CODES uses probabilistic linkage of New York State hospitalization, emergency department, and police and motorist crash reports. Multivariable logistic regression models with MI analyze employed SAS 9.4. Odds ratios are reported as OR with 95% CI. The mortality rate was approximately 1.5 times higher for rear-seated than front-seated occupants (136.60 vs. 92.45 per 100,000), with rear-seated occupants more frequently unrestrained than front-seated occupants (15.28% vs. 1.70%, < 0.0001). In adjusted analyses that did not include restraint status, serious injury/death was higher in rear-seated compared to front-seated occupants (OR:1.272, 1.146-1.412), but lower once restraint use was added (OR: 0.851, 0.771-0.939). Unrestrained rear-seated occupants exhibited higher serious injury/death than restrained front-seated occupants. Unrestrained teens aged 18-19 years old exhibit mortality per 100,000 occupants that is more similar to that of the oldest two age groups than to other young and middle-aged adults. Speeding, a drinking driver, and older vehicles were among the independent predictors of serious injury/death. Unrestrained rear-seated adult occupants exhibit higher severe injury/death than restrained front-seated occupants. When restrained, rear-seated occupants are less likely to be seriously injured than restrained front-seated occupants.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11204010PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060663DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

front-seated occupants
24
motor vehicle
16
rear-seated occupants
16
occupants
14
front- rear-seated
12
york state
12
serious injury/death
12
restrained front-seated
12
rear-seated
10
risk protective
8

Similar Publications

Article Synopsis
  • Seatbelt use significantly reduces the risk of injury and death in vehicle crashes, but rear-seated adults are less likely to wear them compared to those in the front seat.
  • A study analyzed data from nearly 1 million adults involved in crashes in New York, finding that rear-seated occupants had a 1.5 times higher mortality rate and were more often unrestrained.
  • Factors like speeding, a drinking driver, and older vehicles were linked to higher injury severity, highlighting that unrestrained rear-seated occupants face greater risks than their restrained front-seated counterparts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Motor Vehicle Crash and Hospital Charges in Front- and Rear-Seated Restrained and Unrestrained Adult Motor Vehicle Occupants.

Int J Environ Res Public Health

October 2022

New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Occupational Health and Injury Prevention, Albany, NY 12237, USA.

Unlabelled: There are reports that historically higher mortality observed for front- compared to rear-seated adult motor vehicle (MV) occupants has narrowed. Vast improvements have been made in strengthening laws and restraint use in front-, but not rear-seated occupants suggesting there may be value in expanding the science on rear-seat safety.

Methods: A linked 2016-2017 hospital and MV crash data set, the Crash Outcomes Data Evaluation System (CODES), was used to compare characteristics of front-seated ( = 115,939) and rear-seated ( = 5729) adults aged 18 years and older involved in a MV crash in New York State (NYS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Seating configurations for autonomous driving will include reclined front seated occupants, which may expose child occupants seated directly behind to head impacts even in pre-crash scenarios. This study used mathematical modelling to investigate head contact for second-row child occupants seated behind a reclined front-seat during an automatic emergency braking (AEB) scenario. Although characterized by low speed (<1 m/s), head contacts were observed for a seatbelt-restrained 10-year-old and a 6-year-old in a low-back booster when the front-seat was reclined and in an aftward track position.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In New York State (NYS), motor vehicle (MV) injury to child passengers is a leading cause of hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits in children aged 0-12 years. NYS laws require appropriate child restraints for ages 0-7 years and safety belts for ages 8 and up while traveling in a private passenger vehicle, but do not specify a seating position.

Methods: Factors associated with injury in front-seated (n = 11,212) compared to rear-seated (n = 93,092) passengers aged 0-12 years were examined by age groups 0-3, 4-7 and 8-12 years using the 2012-2014 NYS Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Parental perceptions of child placement within vehicles: a focus group study.

Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot

September 2018

a Department of Public Health , North Dakota State University, Fargo , ND , USA.

Although rear-seating children in motor vehicles results in fewer injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle crashes, many children continue to be front-seated. This study seeks to identify parental barriers to rear-seating children in motor vehicles and strategies to increase child rear seat placement. Focus groups were conducted with parents of children 12 or younger to determine barriers to rear seating and strategies to increase child rear seat placement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!