title: Injury risk among children in motor vehicle crashes: older versus younger drivers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between injury risk among child occupants involved in motor vehicle collisions according to the age of the vehicle driver.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System 2000-2009 (n = 10 797) was used to identify demographic, vehicle-, collision- and injury-related characteristics among motor vehicle collision occupants ≤15 years of age. The association between the age of the driver (older vs. younger, defined as individuals <50 years of age vs. individuals ≥50 years of age, respectively) and injury occurrence was estimated using logistic regression adjusting for the potentially confounding effect of occupant, vehicle and collision characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the child occupants in motor vehicle collisions, 2.9% were driving with an older driver, and approximately 2.9% were injured while driving with a younger driver (odds ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval 0.55-1.91). After adjusting for child occupant age, gender, restraint use, seat position and vehicle type, there remained no significant association between the age of the driver (older vs. younger) and the risk of injury (odds ratio 0.92; 95% confidence interval 0.49-1.74).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings add to the body of literature indicating no difference in injury risk found among children when considering the age of the driver. Research is needed to ascertain the association and further evaluate characteristics more specific to the relationship being explored in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States.
authors.forename: Samantha G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Bromfield
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McGwin
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001336:Automobiles; D002648:Child; D057207:Child Restraint Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012622:Seat Belts; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
keywords: accident; child; injury; motor vehicle