Children after motor vehicle crashes: Restraint utilization and injury severity

Retrospective study of 477 hospitalized children after motor vehicle crashes found that improper restraint or lack of restraint significantly increased injury severity, with the youngest age group (0-7 years) having the highest rate of improper restraint use. While injury patterns were similar across restraint types, improperly restrained children had higher injury severity scores and were more likely to sustain profound injuries.