Most reported cases of traumatic abdominal wall herniation result from seatbelt or handlebar injuries. The diagnosis is often made on physical examination or abdominal computed tomography (CT). We report a 59-year-old man with traumatic herniation through the rectus muscle following low-velocity blunt abdominal trauma. This patient was init ially thought to have a rectus sheath haematoma and in...

Most governments try to discourage their citizens from taking extreme risks with their health and lives. Yet, for reasons not understood, many people continue to do so. We suggest a new approach to this longstanding question. First, we show that expected-utility theory predicts that ‘happier’ people will be less attracted to risky behaviors. Second, using BRFSS data on seatbelt use in a sample ...

Study objective: To review systematic review literature that describes the effectiveness of transport interventions in improving population health. Methods: Systematic review methodology was used to evaluate published and unpublished systematic reviews in any language that described the measured health effects of any mode of transport intervention. Main results: 28 systematic reviews were ident...

Aggressive and unsafe driving was examined in 474 male veterans receiving Veterans Affairs residential treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, the authors evaluated if PTSD was associated with aggressive and unsafe driving and if Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans were at higher risk than other war veterans. Approximately two thirds of the sample reported lifetime aggre...

A right-handed 53-year-old man presented with a subcutaneous bruise on his right shoulder caused by a seatbelt during a traffic accident. He had no history of shoulder pain or hydrocortisone injections. The contour of the anterior deltoid was deformed and its belly was retracted distally. The active range of movement of the shoulder was limited to 120 degrees and the strength weakened to 3/5. M...

We studied National Trauma Data Bank data to determine the effectiveness of car safety devices in reducing mortality and injury severity in 184,992 patients between 1988 and 2004. Safety device variables were seat belt used plus air bag deployed; only seat belt used; only air bag deployed; and, as explicitly coded, no device used. Overall mortality was 4.17%. Compared with the no-device group, ...

Vehicle design features that enhance safety can mitigate older driver frailty and declines in ability. We have investigated the older driver’s perception of vehicle safety and how this influences their vehicle purchase. Focus groups (n = 27) were conducted among drivers aged 70-90 in South-Western Ontario. Questions focused on participants’ perceptions of vehicle safety and design, the vehicle ...

In this paper, potential benefits of a brake operated pre-crash active seatbelt system are analyzed with experimental verifications and numerical simulations. The system is activated at the time of emergency braking operation. The statistical data from real world accidents (Japan) as well as driving simulator analysis show that drivers interact with the brake to avoid crash in about 50% of the ...