Children's Safety Network

CSN Monthly Bulletin

Traffic Safety

January 2006

This bulletin comes to you from the Children's Safety Network through CSN Discuss, an electronic forum for the discussion of child and adolescent injury and violence prevention and related issues.

Availability

Copies of many items can be delivered to state Maternal and Child Health and state public health staff upon request. Articles available by e-mail are so indicated. Some other articles can be faxed or mailed. To request an article or other publication, e-mail jhudson@edc.org with the item name, delivery preference (e-mail, fax number, or mailing address). This service is restricted to state Maternal and Child Health and state public health staff. Restricted time and resources forbids us from delivering articles to others. URLs of publications that can be downloaded from the web are included in the bibliographic information.

NEWS AND DEVELOPMENTS

1) Lifesavers 2006: National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities

Lifesavers is the premier national highway safety meeting in the United States. The conference addresses a wide range of topics - from child passenger safety and occupant protection to roadway and vehicle safety and technology. The 2006 Lifesavers Conference will be held in Austin, Texas from April 9-11. Registration information, applications for poster presentations and information on exhibit booths will be available on the web site in late December. Early registration deadline is February 24, 2006.

For more information, see http://www.lifesaversconference.org/index.htm.

Motor Vehicle Hazards Archives

This online resource for researchers, students, consumers and policymakers concerned with motor vehicle crashes and crash injuries was recently launched by the Public Health Advocacy Institute, a research affiliate of Northeastern University School of Law. The website provides highlights of recent events related to motor vehicle hazard and crash injury control in the regulatory, legislative, judicial and industry worlds, as well as an archive of noteworthy historical documents, a motor vehicle injury control bibliography, links to other sources of information, and information on the hazards of specific makes and models of motor vehicles.

The Motor Vehicle Hazards Archives can be found at http://www.autohazardsinfo.org.

World Health Organization Helmet Initiative Website

TThe World Health Organization Helmet Initiative promotes the use of motorcycle and bicycle helmets worldwide and serves as a resource for those wishing to learn more about helmets and to promote their use. The Helmet Initiative’s Fall 2005 electronic newsletter explores helmet promotion activities in many countries. Reports show that helmet use is not as widespread as might be expected given the existence of helmet-use laws in many of these countries. The report also addresses the repeal of helmet laws in 31 U.S. states and the consequent reduction in helmet use and increasing number of fatalities.

The Helmet Initiative website can be found at http://www.whohelmets.org.

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ARTICLES AND REPORTS

Glassbrenner D.
Safety belt use in 2005: Use rates in the states and territories
Traffic Safety Facts Research Note. 2005 Nov:1-7.

This Research Note summarizes findings of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, Safety belt use in 2005: Overall results. Safety belt use rates have increased in 34 states in 2005. The summary includes state-by-state safety belt use data.

Availability: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/RNotes/2005/809970.pdf
Boarnet MG, Anderson CL, Day K, McMillan T, Alfonzo M.
Evaluation of the California Safe Routes to School legislation: Urban form changes and children’s active transportation to school.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2005 Feb;28(2 Suppl 2):134-40.

This study wanted to see if construction improvements associated with California’s Safe Routes to School program increased the rate of children who walked or bicycled to school. The study surveyed parents of 3-5th grade students in schools that were located near Safe Routes construction sites. The researchers found that children who passed completed Safe Routes sites on their way to school were more likely to walk or bicycle to school, compared to children who did not pass these projects. However, an unexpected reduction in walking or bicycling was also seen. The authors theorized this may be due to traffic disruption during construction, which caused some children to switch to motorized travel, but who did not resume walking or bicycling after construction was completed.

Availability: e-mail or hard copy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nonfatal motor vehicle-related backover injuries among children: United States, 2001—2003.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2005 Feb 18;54(6):144-6.

Motor vehicle-related backovers are incidents in which children are struck or rolled over by a vehicle moving in reverse. This report summarizes a CDC analysis of 2001-2003 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program. The researchers estimate that 7,475 children (2,492 per year) aged 1-14 years old were treated for nonfatal motor vehicle backover injuries in U.S. hospital emergency rooms during this period. Approximately 86% of the injured children were classified as pedestrians (children standing, sitting, lying, playing, or walking) near the vehicle. Backover injuries were more likely to occur at home.

The editors suggest several prevention strategies that may prevent these injuries, such as educating parents and caretakers to supervise children who are playing in areas near parked motor-vehicles, and educating drivers to look carefully for children before and while backing up and keep keys away from children’s reach. The editors also discuss environmental modifications such as fencing and driveway design, and automobile modifications such as mirrors, sensing devices and cameras to alert drivers to out-of-sight objects or children.

Availability: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5406a2.htm.
Governors Highway Safety Association. (2004).
Partnering with state highway safety offices: Tips and tactics for success.
DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This document explains the processes that state highway safety offices use in developing their programs and how those in other state agencies or in the community can be effective partners.

Availability: The report is available online at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/TipsandTactics/index.htm.
Leaf, WA, Solomon, MG. (2005).
Safety belt use estimates for Native American tribal reservations.
DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA and the Bureau of Indian Affairs collaborated on this project to: 1) establish the first baseline tribal reservation safety belt use rate and 2) develop a methodology to use in measuring usage in the future. Researchers found that usage rates varied considerably on different reservations, with the highest rates found on reservations with primary laws and the lowest rates on reservations with no laws covering safety belt use. The methodology used will be applied in future projects seeking to increase usage rates.

Availability: The report is available online at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/research/SBUseIndianNation/images/textfinal.pdf.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2005).
Traffic safety fact sheets 2004.
DC: Author.

The topics addressed by these Traffic Safety Fact Sheets include Alcohol, Children, Large Trucks, Motorcycles, Occupant Protection, Older Population, Pedalcyclists, Pedestrians, School Transportation, Speeding, and Young Drivers. Each fact sheet provides data on injuries and fatalities as well as information on prevention strategies

Availability: The fact sheets are available online at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2005). Traffic safety facts 2004, Early edition. DC: Author.

The Traffic Safety Facts annual report contains FARS and GES data, including annual trends on crash statistics, crash characteristics, and a section on State-specific crash data. This Early Edition provides exposure data (i.e., vehicle miles traveled, registered vehicles, licensed drivers) and other data points that customarily are not available until later.

Availability: The report is available online at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSFAnn/TSF2004EE.pdf.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2005).
Traffic safety fact sheets 2004.
DC: Author.

The topics addressed by these Traffic Safety Fact Sheets include Alcohol, Children, Large Trucks, Motorcycles, Occupant Protection, Older Population, Pedalcyclists, Pedestrians, School Transportation, Speeding, and Young Drivers. Each fact sheet provides data on injuries and fatalities as well as information on prevention strategies

Availability: The fact sheets are available online at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/.
Partners for Child Passenger Safety. (2005).
Partners for Child Passenger Safety fact and trend Report, 2005.
Philadelphia: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

This report contains updated facts about children involved in U. S. motor vehicle crashes from 1999 through 2004 and examines the context in which these crashes took place. It includes information on child restraint laws and the characteristics of injuries, vehicles and people involved in the crashes. This is the first edition of an annual publication of Partners for Child Passenger Safety.

Availability: The report is available online at http://www.chop.edu/traumalink/pcps/pdf/tl_trend_report.pdf.
Staunton C, Davidson S, Kegler S, Dawson L, Powell K, Dellinger A.
Critical gaps in child passenger safety practices, surveillance, and legislation: Georgia, 2001.
Pediatrics. 2005 Feb;115(2):372-9.

Given that surveillance of child passenger safety (CPS) is often imperfect, researchers conducted a more comprehensive evaluation to document child restraint use in Georgia. Researchers used police roadblocks to assess child passengers’ age, restraint use and seating position. Fifty-six percent of these children were improperly restrained or sitting in the front seat. When this data was compared to the existing surveillance system, researchers found it would have missed 77% of those children “riding at risk.”

In addition, researchers evaluated the existing Georgia state legislation which only covers children 4 years and younger. Of the children who were improperly restrained or sitting in the front seat, 74% were riding legally. Other research found that 90% of parents believe that if their children are riding legally, they are safely restrained, highlighting the importance of child restraint laws.

Researchers conclude that in addition to strengthened CPS laws, comprehensive surveillance systems are important to reinforce the law and measure its effectiveness.

Availability: e-mail or hard copy.
Törnros JE, Bolling AK.
Mobile phone use: Effects of handheld and handsfree phones on driving performance.
Accident Analysis and Prevention. 2005 Sep;37(5):902-9.

This study assessed phone use while driving. Adult participants, randomly assigned to handheld and handsfree phone groups, were involved in a simulated driving experiment to test the effects of phone dialing and conversation during driving. Results found that that both phone modes yielded similar effects in reduced peripheral vision and lateral position deviation (drifting from one’s driving lane). Dialing a phone number was shown to have a greater effect on lateral position deviation, whereas speed reduction was a more common effect for conversing while driving.

Drivers using handheld phones were more likely than those using handsfree phones to reduce their speed during conversations. The authors theorize that this reduction is to compensate for the increased workload required when conversing and driving, and that drivers using handsfree modes may underestimate their driving risks. Phone conversations during driving demand greater mental attention of drivers, making them less able to respond to unexpected conditions on the road.

The authors conclude that handsfree phones do not appear to be safer than handheld phones, which runs counter to public perceptions and legislation in several U.S. states and other countries.

Availability: hard copy only.
Ulmer RG, Northrup VS. (2005).
Evaluation of the repeal of the all-rider motorcycle helmet law in Florida.
DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This NHTSA study analyzed the impact of Florida’s repeal of its motorcycle helmet use law in 2000 for riders over age 21. It found that helmet use dropped substantially and cyclist fatalities increased by 81%. In the three years following repeal, helmet use decreased and fatalities increased nearly three fold among riders under 21 despite the fact that they are still covered by the law. Similar analyses also showed significant increases in fatalities for Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas, which also repealed their helmet use laws.

The report concludes that similar outcomes are likely in other states that eliminate their all-rider helmet laws. States considering this change should be prepared to see increased motorcycle registrations, decreased helmet use and increased fatal and non-fatal serious injuries—even among young riders still covered by laws.

Availability: The report is available online at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/FlaMCReport/pages/Index.htm.

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TRAFFIC SAFETY RESOURCES FROM CSN

Connecting With Your State Highway Safety Office

Injury prevention professionals and highway safety professionals have many similar goals, including reducing impaired driving, increasing occupant protection (including child passenger safety), and addressing speed, aggressive driving and distracted driving. Both groups have an interest in improving motor-vehicle related injury data and research on the effectiveness of traffic safety countermeasures. In addition, both groups are interested in working at the community level to institutionalize safety programs and promote safer behavior.

Each state and territory has a highway safety office which is overseen by a governor’s Highway Safety Representative and is often staffed with a coordinator who implements the office’s daily activities. One of the main functions of this office is providing funds to partners – including those in state health departments – to support traffic safety initiatives in their state. State highway safety offices make excellent partners for public health agencies wishing to prevent traffic safety injuries. Working together can help avoid duplication of efforts. These highway safety offices are excellent sources of information about the issues that affect them.

If you’re interested in partnering with your state highway safety office, you should first, review "Partnering with State Highway Safety Offices: Tips and Tactics for Success," (described in item 7., above). Second, visit the GHSA website and learn how to contact your state’s highway safety representative and coordinators. Finally, consider attending the 2006 GHSA annual meeting, which will be held in Oklahoma City, OK, from September 16-20, 2006. More information about this meeting is available at http://www.ghsa.org – as is a wealth of other information about traffic safety including legislation, meetings, and Federal incentive grants.

To learn more about collaborating with this or other partners on traffic safety, contact the CSN state outreach specialist for your state.

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Next month's CSN Discuss Bulletin will focus on school injuries.

Please direct questions about this bulletin to Erica Streit-Kaplan at:
Children's Safety Network
Education Development Center
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458
http://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/
Phone: 617-618-2178
Fax: 617-969-9186
E-mail: estreit-kaplan@edc.org

CSN Monthly Bulletin

Traffic Safety

January 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

News and Developments

Articles and Reports

Traffic Safety Resources from CSN

Availability

NEWS AND DEVELOPMENTS

ARTICLES AND REPORTS

TRAFFIC SAFETY RESOURCES FROM CSN