Children plus all nonautomobile motorized vehicles (not just all-terrain vehicles) equals injuries

Abstract

Objectives: The goals were to describe the epidemiological features of pediatric nonautomobile motorized vehicle-related injuries sustained between 1990 and 2003 and to compare all-terrain vehicle-related injuries with other types of nonautomobile motorized vehicle-related injuries.

Methods: An analysis of nationally representative pediatric nonautomobile motorized vehicle-related injury data from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was performed.

Results: Nationally, an estimated 1,203,800 children were treated in hospital emergency departments for nonautomobile motorized vehicle-related injuries between 1990 and 2003. These children had a mean age of 12.7 years (range: 1 month to 19 years), and 77.0% were male. The majority of injuries were associated with all-terrain vehicles (44.8%), 2-wheeled off-road vehicles (21.1%), and go-carts/buggies (13.7%). The most common diagnoses were contusions/abrasions (28.3%), fractures (24.2%), and lacerations (20.0%). Overall, the number of injuries increased 86% from 70,500 injuries in 1990 to 130,900 injuries in 2003. The numbers of all-terrain vehicle-related, 2-wheeled off-road vehicle-related, 2-wheeled on-road vehicle-related, and go-cart/buggy-related injuries all increased significantly from 1990 to 2003. There were greater proportions of all-terrain vehicle-associated injuries among children > or = 16 years of age (48.0%) and children 12 to 15 years of age (46.6%) than among children < 12 years of age (40.3%). Conversely, the proportion of other nonautomobile motorized vehicle-related injuries among children < 12 years of age (47.2%) was greater than that among children 12 to 15 years of age (30.3%) and children > or = 16 years of age (23.0%).

Conclusions: Although most public health and legislative attention to date has been focused on all-terrain vehicles, parents, children, and public officials should be educated about the injury risk that all types of nonautomobile motorized vehicles pose to children.