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November 2000

Youth represent a disproportionate share of pickup truck cargo area occupant deaths. Raising awareness about cargo area safety is critical given the increasing popularity of pickup trucks for personal use.

• In 1998, youth under 18 years represented 32% of all reported fatalities associated with pickup truck cargo areas.¹ Non-fatal injury data are not available.
• Youth fatalities associated with pickup truck cargo areas have been trending downward.¹ (See Fig. 1) 

• Studies from California, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Utah reveal that ejections and falls account for most youth injuries involving pickup truck cargo areas.^2-5
• The most frequent injuries include head trauma, extremity fractures and lacerations/abrasions.^2-5
• Compared to children injured or killed while riding in the pickup truck cab, children riding in the cargo area sustain more injuries and more severe injuries.⁵
• One-quarter to two-thirds of pickup truck cargo area-related injuries to youth occur during non-crash events such as a truck stopping or swerving or a youth falling from a moving truck.^2,3,5
• Cargo area occupants are eight times more likely to die while traveling in a pick-up truck than restrained cab occupants.⁹
• Truck camper shells do not prevent ejections from pickup truck cargo areas.^5,9 Cargo area occupants may be injured by the shell or poisoned by entrapped carbon monoxide fumes from a leaking or rear-exiting truck exhaust system.^5,11
• Studies revealed males are three times more likely than females to sustain injuries requiring medical treatment.^2,3

Studies have shown factors that may increase the risk of riding in pickup truck cargo areas.

• Pickup truck cargo area fatalities and injuries are more common during:
• summer months ^2,3,7,8,10
• daylight or dusk hours ^2,3,4,8,9,10
• on paved roads ⁷
• in rural areas ^2,4,7,9,10

• be young, male, and of Hispanic origin
• have teenagers in the household
• report changing lanes frequently
• have received a traffic citation in the past 3 years
• report driving after they had too much to drink within the past month
• drive a truck with a camper shell
• use a truck for transport to school or recreational activities

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends legislation prohibiting passenger travel in pickup truck cargo areas.¹²
• No effective interventions to reduce youth injuries associated with pickup truck cargo areas were identified.
• Pickup truck cab areas may include additional hazards for youth such as exposure to front seat airbags and insufficient jump or bench seat size to support a child safety or booster seat.
• Over half of all states and the District of Columbia restrict passenger travel in pickup truck cargo areas. Most legislation includes exceptions that limit protection.¹⁴
• Pickup truck cargo area safety should be addressed in driver education classes and remedial traffic school.
• Further research is needed to understand non-fatal and non-crash injury events and the effectiveness of legislation restricting cargo area passengers.

• Kids Aren’t Cargo promotional material: Poster and rearview mirror hangtag available through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Availability: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
• Don’t Be Human Cargo promotional material: Poster, window sticker, and video available through the Pediatric Injury Prevention Research Group at the University of California–Irvine. Availability: (949) 824-6528.
• TASK II Pickup Truck Safety Lesson: Lesson is part of curricula produced by the Teaching Agricultural Safety to Kids (TASK) Program. Lesson teaches pickup truck occupant safety issues to children in 4^th to 6^thgrade. Availability: (800) 323-8275 or http://www.iesstask.com/
• Rural Roadway Safety Program: This Farm Safety 4 Just Kids’ (FS4JK) roadway safety program emphasizes rural occupant safety issues. Availability: (800) 423-5437 or http://www.fs4jk.org

• The following resources detail state laws restricting travel in pickup truck cargo areas. Verify these listings with state or local law enforcement officials.
• State Traffic Safety Legislation, 1999. State traffic safety legislation through 1999. Availability: National Council of State Legislatures website http://www.ncsl.org/programs/esnr/transp2.htm
• NHTSA Legislative Tracking Application. Tracks action of 2000 legislative session. Availability: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncsl/
• For guidance on developing state legislation:
• Developing A Model Law Restricting the Transporting of Passengers in the Cargo Areas of Pickup Trucks¹³

• Fatality Analysis Recording System (FARS): Database of reported U.S. fatal crashes.
• State Dept. of Transportation: state crash data
• Local Police Dept.: local crash data

 1.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 1994-1998 Unpublished FARS Data. 2000.
 2.Fallat ME, Svenson JE, Roussell SS, Hardwick VG. Hazards to children riding in the back of pickup trucks. J Ky Med Assoc 1995; 93:515-8.
 3.Woodward GA, Bolte RG. Children riding in the back of pickup trucks: A neglected safety issue. Pediatrics 1990; 86:683-91.
 4.Sneed RC. Unrestricted riding in pickup truck cargo beds poses significant hazards. J Miss State Med Assoc 2000; 41:485-90.
 5.Agran PF, Winn DG, Castillo DN. Pediatric injuries in the back of pickup trucks. Jama 1990; 264:712-6.
 6.Agran PF, Winn DG, Anderson CL. Who carries passengers in the back of pickup trucks? Accid Anal Prev 1995; 27:125-30.
 7.Hamar GB, King W, Bolton A, Fine PR. Fatal incidents involving pickup trucks in Alabama. South Med J 1991; 84:349-54.
 8.Bucklew PA, Osler TM, Eidson JJ, Clevenger FW, Olson SE, Demarest GB. Falls and ejections from pickup trucks. J Trauma 1992; 32:468-7.
 9.Anderson CL, Agran PF, Winn DG, Greenland S. Fatalities to occupants of cargo areas of pickup trucks. Accid Anal Prev 2000; 32:533-40.
10.Agran PF, Winn D, Anderson C. Injuries to occupants in cargo areas of pickup trucks. West J Med 1994; 161:479-82.
11.Hampson NB, Norkool DM. Carbon monoxide poisoning in children riding in the back of pickup trucks. Jama 1992; 267:538-40.
12.American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention. Children in pickup trucks. Pediatrics 2000; 106:857-8.
13.Christoffel T, Agran PF, Winn D, Anderson CL, Del Valle C. Developing a model law restricting the transporting of passengers in the cargo areas of pickup trucks. J Public Health Policy 2000; 21:6181.
14.Williams A, Goins S. Fatal falls and jumps from motor vehicles. Am J Public Health 1981; 71:275-9.
 

National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, a site of the Children’s Safety Network

National Farm Medicine Center
1000 North Oak Avenue
Marshfield, WI 54449
Phone 888-924-SAFE (7233)
Fax: 715-389-4996
Email: nccrahs@mmrf.mfldclin.edu
Web: http://research.marshfieldclinic.org/children/

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