Injuries in Noncrash Motor Vehicle Accidents
Pediatricians now treat a substantial number of preschool-aged children involved in noncrash car injuries. Two studies have found that 12% to 15% of children seen in the emergency room for injuries related to the car have been involved in noncrash episodes. Agran characterized these noncrash injuries as often being minor head injuries occurring in unrestrained children between 1 and 4 years of age, who hit their head on a dashboard during a sudden stop. Almost half of all of the children were in the front seat, and three quarters of these hit their heads. Although front seat injuries were more common, back seat injuries were more likely to result in lacerations requiring sutures (25%).
