Restraint Use and Injury Patterns of Young Drivers and Passengers Admitted to Hospitals in New South Wales,Australia

Australians aged 17 to 25 years who travel in cars have a high risk of death and injury in crashes despite mandatory seat belt laws, graduated licensing programs for young drivers, and stringent enforcement. This analysis examined characteristics and injury outcomes of occupants aged 17 to 25 years injured in crashes in New South Wales, Australia. The study focused on restraint use. A linked hospital and police record data set for car occupants admitted to hospitals between 2005 and 2007 was used. Descriptive techniques were used to compare the characteristics of injured occupants of ages 17 to 25 years with those of older occupants and logistic regression was used to test the associations. Only 87% of injured young adults were wearing seat belts. Young adults were more likely than were their older counterparts to be in severe crashes, crashes that involved loss of control, crashes that involved single and older vehicles, and crashes when they were seated in the rear. Young adults also had more head, abdominal or lower torso, and neck injuries and fewer thoracic injuries than did older occupants. Young females were more likely to have been in newer vehicles and less likely to have been in more severe crashes than were young males. Young females also had fewer head injuries and more abdominal or lower torso injuries than young males had. Greater effort is required to increase the use of restraints and modern vehicles among young adults, to encourage industry to improve rear passenger protection, and to increase understanding of the factors that underpin the high involvement of young people in single-vehicle and loss-of-control crashes.