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Study recommends new guidelines for air bag safety in children
June 06, 2005More kids at risk for injury than previously thought
Children 14 and younger should not sit in the front passenger seat of cars equipped with air bags, according to a new study by an emergency medicine researcher at Oregon Health & Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital.
Current federally mandated warning labels in cars only indicate a risk of air bag injuries for children 12 and younger.
The study, "Effects of Child Age and Body Size on Serious Injury From Passenger Air Bag Presence in Motor Vehicle Crashes," will be published in the June 6 edition of the American Academy of Pediatrics' journal Pediatrics.
"Eight years ago, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its recommendations, they were based on the best information (about air bag safety) available at the time," said Craig Newgard, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine's Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine, and an emergency physician at OHSU and Doernbecher hospitals.
"Those warnings worked in reducing injuries to children. But, as a parent and emergency physician, I felt it was time to study whether more children could be at risk and assess whether age or body size were good measurement guidelines."
Newgard looked at a population-based sample of 3,790 children aged 1 month to 18 years who were seated in the right front seat and involved in motor vehicle crashes. The eight-year sample was supplied by the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System and encompasses one of the largest, most current and comprehensive databases on air bags.
The study found that children 14 and younger were at high risk for serious injury from air bags when they sat in the front passenger seat during car crashes. In contrast, air bags had a protective effect for children aged 15 to 18. In addition, the study showed age may be a better indicator of risk than height or weight. Several body changes during puberty, such as muscle mass, bone density and bone mineral content, may help explain why body size isn't a good measurement of risk in children.
These results were consistent with several previous studies.
"Anyone who drives needs to be empowered with this information. When my 13-year-old nephew wants to sit in the front seat now, I won't let him," said Newgard.
Oregon Health & Science University
The study, "Effects of Child Age and Body Size on Serious Injury From Passenger Air Bag Presence in Motor Vehicle Crashes," will be published in the June 6 edition of the American Academy of Pediatrics' journal Pediatrics.
"Eight years ago, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its recommendations, they were based on the best information (about air bag safety) available at the time," said Craig Newgard, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine's Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine, and an emergency physician at OHSU and Doernbecher hospitals.
"Those warnings worked in reducing injuries to children. But, as a parent and emergency physician, I felt it was time to study whether more children could be at risk and assess whether age or body size were good measurement guidelines."
Newgard looked at a population-based sample of 3,790 children aged 1 month to 18 years who were seated in the right front seat and involved in motor vehicle crashes. The eight-year sample was supplied by the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System and encompasses one of the largest, most current and comprehensive databases on air bags.
The study found that children 14 and younger were at high risk for serious injury from air bags when they sat in the front passenger seat during car crashes. In contrast, air bags had a protective effect for children aged 15 to 18. In addition, the study showed age may be a better indicator of risk than height or weight. Several body changes during puberty, such as muscle mass, bone density and bone mineral content, may help explain why body size isn't a good measurement of risk in children.
These results were consistent with several previous studies.
"Anyone who drives needs to be empowered with this information. When my 13-year-old nephew wants to sit in the front seat now, I won't let him," said Newgard.
Oregon Health & Science University
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Computer Technology Developed By Hebrew University Professor Can Save Lives For Drivers
No one likes a back-seat driver. But imagine having a silent "co-pilot" in your car that isn't a pest but can save your life, as well as those of your passengers and those in the path of your vehicle. That's what EyeQ, a computer chip developed by MobilEye -- a company founded by Prof. Amnon Shashua, chairman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's School of Engineering and Computer Science -- is capable of doing. The chip operates in conjunction with a video camera that is mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle and that sends information on what it sees to an on-board computer containing the EyeQ chip. The chip has been so "instructed" that it can distinguish between ordi
Pop-up car bonnets will help reduce pedestrian deaths
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Seat belts offer more protection than air bags
Driver air bags offer relatively little benefit in road vehicle crashes compared with seat belts, finds a study in this week’s BMJ. Researchers in the United States identified all passenger vehicles that crashed during 1990-2000 in which the driver or passenger, or both, died. A sample of 51,031 driver-passenger pairs was analysed to estimate the association of driver air bags with driver fatality. Having an air bag was associated with an 8% reduction in the risk of death, whether the driver was belted or not. The reduction in risk was greater for women (12%) than for men (6%). However, seat belts provided much greater protection, with seat belt use reducing the risk of death by 65%. U
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