This study aimed to identify the set of circumstances that contributed to the involvement of adults in traffic accidents. The study was of the cross-sectional type using secondary data. The patterns were identified through cluster analysis using a method called Hierarchical Ascendant Classification. Five classes were identified. Three classes involved males with minor injuries resulting from ac...

Maine upgraded its seat belt law to primary enforcement on September 20, 2007. Belt observations during the day and night were conducted along with awareness surveys in state licensing offices. Both daytime and nighttime observed belt use increased in the months following implementation of the law (daytime 77-84%; night 69-81%). Although daytime belt use was generally higher, nighttime belt use...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to provide an updated estimate of the effectiveness of belt-positioning booster (BPB) seats compared with seat belts alone in reducing the risk for injury for children aged 4 to 8 years. METHODS Data were collected from a longitudinal study of children who were involved in crashes in 16 states and the District of Columbia from December 1, 1998, to Nov...

Young children are required to use child safety seats, and the age threshold at which children can legally graduate to seat belts has steadily increased. This paper tests the relative effectiveness of child safety seats, lap-and-shoulder seat belts, and lap belts in preventing injuries among motor vehicle passengers aged 2-6. We analyze three large, representative samples of crashes reported to...

The height of the front of the seat is the primary determinant of appropriate seat size in the school setting. In the present study, this dimension was fixed at 445 mm and, using a brief adjustment period, students adjusted the angle of the seat to their preferred rear seat height (PRSH) under three fixed and one adjustable desk height conditions and for one desk height, under two time conditio...

A 22-year-old man died following a side impact blow in an automobile accident. Necropsy showed a large tear in the posterior wall of the aorta approximately 12 mm distal to the insertion of ligamentum arteriosum (Figures 1 and 2). Subadventitial hemorrhage was prominent in the descending thoracic aorta. Th e left pleural space contained large quantities of blood. Traumatic aortic rupture is the...

OBJECTIVE This paper details an observational study that estimates rates for wearing seat belts in rural Alberta and compares them with rates derived from a similar study conducted in 1999. METHOD Direct observations of drivers and front-seat passengers of 72,593 light-duty vehicles were carried out at 334 survey locations in communities with populations of fewer than 25,000, throughout north...