Some Factors Influencing the Injuries Sustained by Child Pedestrians Struck by the Fronts of Cars

The relative importance of child pedestrian accidents is first considered by reference to national accident statistics for Great Britain. Data from a study using existing hospital and police records are then used to examine the location of the initial pedestrian contacts with the vehicle and the effects of initial contact on overall injury severity. In particular the incidence of ‘run over’ accidents is examined and it is shown that, contrary to popular belief, the very young child is rarely run over by the striking vehicle.

The injuries sustained by child pedestrians struck by the fronts of cars or light goods vehicles derived from a car are then described and the differences in injury patterns with age examined. The effects of vehicle front end height on the injuries sustained are considered and it is shown that when the front end height is 0.6 - 0.7 pedestrian height there is an increased risk of neck injury compared to other relative front end heights.