Han Guang-Ming, Newmyer Ashley, Qu Ming
a Division of Public Health , Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services , Lincoln , Nebraska.
Traffic Inj Prev. 2015;16(6):605-10. doi: 10.1080/15389588.2014.999856.
Seat belt use is the single most effective way to save lives and reduce injuries in motor vehicle crashes. However, some case reports described seat belt use as a double-edged sword because some injuries are related to seat belt use in motor vehicle crashes. To comprehensively understand the effects of seat belt use, we systemically investigated the association between seat belt use and injuries based on anatomic body region and type of injury in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes.
The injury information was obtained by linking crash reports with hospital discharge data and categorized by using the diagnosis codes based on the Barell injury diagnosis matrix. A total of 10,479 drivers (≥15 years) in passenger vehicles involved in motor vehicle crashes from 2006 to 2011 were included in this study.
Seat belt use significantly reduced the proportions of traumatic brain injury (10.4% non-seat belt; 4.1% seat belt) and other head, face, and neck injury (29.3% non-seat belt; 16.6% seat belt) but increased the proportion of spine: thoracic to coccyx injury (17.9% non-seat belt; 35.5% seat belt). Although the proportion of spine: thoracic to coccyx injury was increased in drivers with seat belt use, the severity of injury was decreased, such as fracture (4.2% with seat belt use; 22.0% without seat belt use). Furthermore, the total medical charges decreased due to the change of injury profiles in drivers with seat belt use from a higher percentage of fractures (average cost for per case $26,352) to a higher percentage of sprains and/or strains ($1,897) with spine: thoracic to coccyx injury.
This study provide a comprehensive picture for understanding the protective effect of seat belt use on injuries based on anatomic body region and type of injury in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes.
使用安全带是在机动车碰撞事故中挽救生命和减少伤害的最有效方式。然而，一些病例报告将安全带的使用描述为一把双刃剑，因为在机动车碰撞事故中一些伤害与安全带的使用有关。为了全面了解安全带使用的影响，我们基于机动车碰撞事故中驾驶员的身体解剖部位和损伤类型，系统地研究了安全带使用与损伤之间的关联。
通过将碰撞报告与医院出院数据相链接来获取损伤信息，并根据巴雷尔损伤诊断矩阵使用诊断代码进行分类。本研究纳入了2006年至2011年期间涉及机动车碰撞事故的乘用车中10479名年龄≥15岁的驾驶员。
使用安全带显著降低了创伤性脑损伤的比例（未使用安全带为10.4%；使用安全带为4.1%）以及其他头部、面部和颈部损伤的比例（未使用安全带为29.3%；使用安全带为16.6%），但增加了脊柱（胸段至尾骨）损伤的比例（未使用安全带为17.9%；使用安全带为35.5%）。尽管使用安全带的驾驶员中脊柱（胸段至尾骨）损伤的比例有所增加，但损伤的严重程度有所降低，例如骨折（使用安全带为4.2%；未使用安全带为22.0%）。此外，由于使用安全带的驾驶员损伤情况发生变化，从骨折比例较高（每例平均费用26352美元）变为脊柱（胸段至尾骨）损伤中扭伤和/或拉伤比例较高（1897美元），总医疗费用有所下降。
本研究为理解安全带使用对机动车碰撞事故中驾驶员基于身体解剖部位和损伤类型的损伤保护作用提供了全面的情况。
