Primary injury prevention and mortality from motor vehicle crashes among children and adolescents in the United States: From safety behaviors to healthy environments

Every year, over 1,800 children die and more than 200,000 are injured in motor-vehicle crashes in the U.S., increasing the economic burden associated with medical care/rehabilitation and years of potential life lost. The majority of deaths and injuries are preventable and involve improper use of restraint devices and alcohol, high speeds, and built environments that promote vehicle performance. Studies evaluating the impact of environmental modifications on childhood fatal motor vehicle injuries have not been executed in the U.S. at the national level. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effects that primary prevention policies have had on reducing mortality from motor-vehicle crashes among children and adolescents in the U.S. This is a retrospective study based on 1997-2005 data from the FARS, the IIHS, the U.S. Census, U.S. Presidential elections and U.S. labor statistics, and analyzed using negative binomial regression with fixed-effects. I expect to find significant reductions in the proportion of deaths among states with primary enforcement of restraint laws, mandatory driver education programs and checkpoint s compared with states with secondary or inexistent laws. I also expect to find mortality reductions among states with speed reduction and traffic calming measures compared with states where such measures are not available. This study evaluates the effects of primary injury prevention policies on fatal injuries from motor vehicle crashes among children and adolescents at the national level using a longitudinal perspective. Results may be useful to policy-makers and public health practitioners involved in injury prevention and public health.