The impact of state level graduated driver licensing programs on rates of passenger restraint use and unlicensed driving in fatal crashes.

Since 1996, states have been implementing and enhancing their graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs. Increased licensing restrictions could steer new drivers to bypass training and licensing altogether. Unlicensed driving is associated with increased fatal crashes and high-risk behaviors that have been shown to adversely affect passenger safety behaviors like restraint use.

Crash injury risk behavior in adolescent latino males: the power of friends and relational connections.

The adolescent Latino male mortality profile is an anomaly when compared to an otherwise more favorable overall U.S. Latino population mortality profile.

Assessment of the storz video Macintosh laryngoscope for use in difficult airways: A human simulator study.

Objectives: Video laryngoscopy has been shown to improve glottic exposure when compared to direct laryngoscopy in operating room studies. However, its utility in the hands of emergency physicians (EPs) remains undefined. A simulated difficult airway was used to determine if intubation by EPs using a video Macintosh system resulted in an improved glottic view, was easier, was faster, or was more successful than conventional direct laryngoscopy.

Pedestrian injuries: emergency care considerations.

Traffic-related pedestrian injuries are a growing public health threat worldwide. The global economic burden of motor vehicle collisions and pedestrian injuries totals $500 billion.1 In 2004, there were 4,641 pedestrian deaths and over 70,000 injuries in the United States.

Access to Firearms among Orange County Youth: A School-Based Study.

Objective: School-associated firearm violence among children and adolescents is a national public concern. The objective of this study was to determine the accessibility of firearms, methods of firearm access and firearm safety knowledge among middle and high school students in Orange County, California.

Methods: After permission from school officials and parents was obtained, a 24-question survey was distributed to 176 students in grades 6 through 12 at four schools in Orange County.

The dilemma of increasing media scrutiny on older-adult driving fitness.

As several highly publicized traffic collisions occurred in 2003 and 2004, the nation began to give more attention to the issue of older drivers. After several older-driver collisions, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts examined their license renewal and driver testing policies for both the young and old. We describe these major traffic incidents and discuss their impact on the political, medical, and social forums.

Outcome study of prehospital patients signed out against medical advice by field paramedics.

Study Objective: To describe the incidence and demographic data of prehospital patients who contact paramedics by way of the 911 system, refuse transport against medical advice (AMA), then call 911 and are subsequently reevaluated by paramedics in the following 48 hours.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational review of records using the San Diego County Quality Assurance Network database for prehospital providers. All paramedic 911 responses that made base hospital contact over a 3-month period were reviewed to identify patients who signed out AMA.

Cervical spine epidural abscess in a patient with no predisposing risk factors.

We report a case of cervical spine epidural abscess in a 50-year-old man with a 4-day history of neck pain but no neurologic deficits or fever. The patient had no predisposing risk factors such as recent spinal surgery, trauma, instrumentation, distal site of infection, immunosuppression, diabetes, or i.v.