Motor vehicle occupant injuries in noncrash events.

Data on injuries sustained by child occupants in motor vehicles occurring in noncrash events are generally unrecorded. This study was undertaken to ascertain the occurrence of medically confirmed injuries sustained by child occupants in motor vehicles as a result of noncrash events. Seventy-nine children were seen in the emergency room for evaluation of injuries that they incurred as occupants in motor vehicle incidents over a period of 18 months. The majority of injuries occurred in crash events. However, 18 (23%) were injured in noncrash events. These events included sudden stops, swerves, turns, and movement of an unrestrained child within the vehicle. The mechanism of injury was either ejection from the vehicle or impact with an interior area of the vehicle. In five of the 18 cases safety restraint use could not be established. Of the 13 cases in which information was obtained, no child was restrained. Although the injuries were predominantly minor (Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 1), two children sustained moderate injury (AIS 2), and one child sustained severe injury (AIS 3). These results need to be confirmed by a larger study and if confirmed, the additional hazard of injury from noncrash events should be incorporated into health education messages that currently place primary emphasis on the potential for injury in crash events.