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October 1988, Vol 142, No. 10 >
Article | October 1988

The Effects of a Mandatory Child Restraint Law on Injuries Requiring Hospitalization FREE

Lewis H. Margolis, MD, MPH; Alexander C. Wagenaar, PhD; Wanda Liu, MS, MA
[+] Author Affiliations

Accepted for publication June 11, 1988.

Reprint requests to University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Dr Margolis).


Am J Dis Child. 1988;142(10):1099-1103. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1988.02150100093035.
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• Using data on all inpatients in 16 Michigan hospitals from 1980 through 1985, the clinical effects of a mandatory child restraint law were examined. Time-series analytic techniques revealed a 36% decline in hospitalization for all injuries, with a 25% decline for head injuries, and a 20% decline for extremity injuries for children younger than 4 years. In addition, length of stay declined for children hospitalized secondary to motor vehicle crashes. This study confirms the effectiveness of the child restraint law in Michigan, previously demonstrated by analyses of police records. Current hospital databases may be able to serve as one component for the implementation of comprehensive injury surveillance systems.

(AJDC 1988;142:1099-1103)

REFERENCES

1 +
Wagenaar AC, Webster DW:  Preventing injuries to children through compulsory automobile safety seat use . Pediatrics 1986;;78:662-672.
2 +
Fife D, Ginsburg M, Boynton W:  The role of motor vehicle crashes in causing certain injuries . Am J Public Health 1984;;74:1263-1264.
Link to Article
3 +
Engert S: Age-Related Variation in Injury Occurrence to Automobile Occupants: An Analysis of the 1982 National Accident Sampling System . Warren, Mich, General Motors Research Laboratories, 1986;.
4 +
Melvin JW: Developments in infant and child occupant restraint systems in the United States, pp 183-188. International Symposium on Occupant Restraint, the American Association for Automotive Medicine Meeting, Toronto, June 1-3, 1981.
5 +
Guerin D, MacKinnon DP:  An assessment of the California child passenger restraint requirement . Am J Public Health 1985;;75:142-144.
Link to Article
6 +
Hall WL, Daniel RB: Effect of Educational, Distribution and Legislative Activities on Restraint Use Rates for North Carolina Children . Chapel Hill, NC, Highway Safety Research Center, 1983;.
7 +
Scherz RG:  Fatal motor vehicle accidents of child passengers from birth through 4 years of age in Washington State . Pediatrics 1981;;68:572-575.
8 +
Agran PF, Dunkle DE, Winn DG:  Effects of legislation on motor vehicle injuries to children . AJDC 1987;;141:959-964.
9 +
Hall WL, Woodward AR, Ma JM, et al: The Use of Telephone Interviews to Verify the Reliability of Police Accident Reports in Assessing the Effectiveness of Child Safety Seats . Chapel Hill, NC, Highway Safety Research Center, 1984;.
10 +
Barancik JI, Chatterjee BF, Greene-Cradden YC, et al:  Motor vehicle trauma in north-eastern Ohio: I. Incidence and outcome by age, sex, and road-use category . Am J Epidemiol 1986;;123:846-861.
11 +
Thomas JW, Griffith JR, Durance PH:  Defining hospital clusters and associated service communities in metropolitan areas . J Socioeconomic Plan Sci 1980;;15:45-51.
Link to Article
12 +
Box GE, Jenkins GM: Time Series Analysis: Forecasting and Control , rev ed. San Francisco, Holden-Day, 1976;.
13 +
Vigderhous G:  Forecasting sociological phenomena: Application of Box-Jenkins methodology to suicide rates , in Schuessler KF (ed): Sociological Methodology 1978 . San Francisco, Jossey Bass Inc Publishers, 1977;, pp 20-51.
14 +
McCleary R, Hay RA Jr: Applied Time Series Analysis for the Social Sciences . Beverly Hills, Calif, Sage Publications Inc, 1980;.
15 +
Dixon WJ, Brown MB, Engelman L, et al: BMDP Statistical Software . Berkeley, Calif, University of California Press, 1983;.
16 +
Cook TD, Campbell DT: Quasi-experimentation . Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co, 1979;.
17 +
Ricci LL: NCSS Statistics: Passenger Cars . Ann Arbor, Mich, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 1980;.
18 +
Wagenaar AC, Webster DW, Maybee RG:  Effects of child restraint laws on traffic fatalities in 11 states . J Trauma 1987;;27:726-731.
Link to Article
19 +
Graitcer P:  The development of state and local injury surveillance systems . J Safety Res 1987;;18:191-198.
Link to Article
20 +
Margolis LH, Wagenaar AC, Molnar LJ: Recognizing the common problem of child automobile restraint misuse. Pediatrics, in press.

Figures

Tables

Interactive Graphics

Video

Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

References

1 +
Wagenaar AC, Webster DW:  Preventing injuries to children through compulsory automobile safety seat use . Pediatrics 1986;;78:662-672.
2 +
Fife D, Ginsburg M, Boynton W:  The role of motor vehicle crashes in causing certain injuries . Am J Public Health 1984;;74:1263-1264.
Link to Article
3 +
Engert S: Age-Related Variation in Injury Occurrence to Automobile Occupants: An Analysis of the 1982 National Accident Sampling System . Warren, Mich, General Motors Research Laboratories, 1986;.
4 +
Melvin JW: Developments in infant and child occupant restraint systems in the United States, pp 183-188. International Symposium on Occupant Restraint, the American Association for Automotive Medicine Meeting, Toronto, June 1-3, 1981.
5 +
Guerin D, MacKinnon DP:  An assessment of the California child passenger restraint requirement . Am J Public Health 1985;;75:142-144.
Link to Article
6 +
Hall WL, Daniel RB: Effect of Educational, Distribution and Legislative Activities on Restraint Use Rates for North Carolina Children . Chapel Hill, NC, Highway Safety Research Center, 1983;.
7 +
Scherz RG:  Fatal motor vehicle accidents of child passengers from birth through 4 years of age in Washington State . Pediatrics 1981;;68:572-575.
8 +
Agran PF, Dunkle DE, Winn DG:  Effects of legislation on motor vehicle injuries to children . AJDC 1987;;141:959-964.
9 +
Hall WL, Woodward AR, Ma JM, et al: The Use of Telephone Interviews to Verify the Reliability of Police Accident Reports in Assessing the Effectiveness of Child Safety Seats . Chapel Hill, NC, Highway Safety Research Center, 1984;.
10 +
Barancik JI, Chatterjee BF, Greene-Cradden YC, et al:  Motor vehicle trauma in north-eastern Ohio: I. Incidence and outcome by age, sex, and road-use category . Am J Epidemiol 1986;;123:846-861.
11 +
Thomas JW, Griffith JR, Durance PH:  Defining hospital clusters and associated service communities in metropolitan areas . J Socioeconomic Plan Sci 1980;;15:45-51.
Link to Article
12 +
Box GE, Jenkins GM: Time Series Analysis: Forecasting and Control , rev ed. San Francisco, Holden-Day, 1976;.
13 +
Vigderhous G:  Forecasting sociological phenomena: Application of Box-Jenkins methodology to suicide rates , in Schuessler KF (ed): Sociological Methodology 1978 . San Francisco, Jossey Bass Inc Publishers, 1977;, pp 20-51.
14 +
McCleary R, Hay RA Jr: Applied Time Series Analysis for the Social Sciences . Beverly Hills, Calif, Sage Publications Inc, 1980;.
15 +
Dixon WJ, Brown MB, Engelman L, et al: BMDP Statistical Software . Berkeley, Calif, University of California Press, 1983;.
16 +
Cook TD, Campbell DT: Quasi-experimentation . Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co, 1979;.
17 +
Ricci LL: NCSS Statistics: Passenger Cars . Ann Arbor, Mich, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 1980;.
18 +
Wagenaar AC, Webster DW, Maybee RG:  Effects of child restraint laws on traffic fatalities in 11 states . J Trauma 1987;;27:726-731.
Link to Article
19 +
Graitcer P:  The development of state and local injury surveillance systems . J Safety Res 1987;;18:191-198.
Link to Article
20 +
Margolis LH, Wagenaar AC, Molnar LJ: Recognizing the common problem of child automobile restraint misuse. Pediatrics, in press.

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