Sewell C M, Hull H F, Fenner J, Graff H, Pine J
Pediatrics. 1986 Dec;78(6):1079-84.
The New Mexico State Legislature passed a child restraint law applicable to children less than 5 years of age that became effective in June 1983. To evaluate the effectiveness of this law, we analyzed traffic accident data for New Mexico from January 1981 through September 1984. During this period, there were 20,972 children younger than 5 years of age in motor vehicle accidents. Restraint usage increased for this age group from a low of about 10% in 1981 to more than 40% in 1984 (P less than 10(-6)). Unrestrained children younger than 5 years of age were five times more likely to be killed and two times more likely to be injured than restrained children. Analysis of motor vehicle accident fatality and injury rates pre- and post-law revealed a 33% reduction in motor vehicle accident fatality rates and a 12.6% reduction in nonfatal injury rates for children younger than 5 years. We conclude that child restraint devices are effective in reducing motor vehicle accident fatalities and injuries in young children and the child restraint law has been effective in increasing child restraint usage and in reducing childhood death and injury in New Mexico.
新墨西哥州立法机构通过了一项适用于5岁以下儿童的儿童约束法，该法于1983年6月生效。为评估这项法律的有效性，我们分析了1981年1月至1984年9月新墨西哥州的交通事故数据。在此期间，有20972名5岁以下儿童遭遇机动车事故。该年龄组的约束装置使用率从1981年的约10%的低水平上升到1984年的40%以上（P小于10^(-6)）。5岁以下未使用约束装置的儿童死亡可能性是使用约束装置儿童的5倍，受伤可能性是其2倍。对法律实施前后机动车事故死亡率和受伤率的分析显示，5岁以下儿童的机动车事故死亡率降低了33%，非致命受伤率降低了12.6%。我们得出结论，儿童约束装置在减少幼儿机动车事故死亡和受伤方面是有效的，并且儿童约束法在提高新墨西哥州儿童约束装置的使用率以及减少儿童伤亡方面是有效的。
