Youth
Riding in Pickup Truck Cargo Areas
|
November 2000
Background
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.
National Injury
Experience
- 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)
State & Local
Area Studies
- 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
Influencing Factors
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
Survey results6
from California reveal that compared to pickup truck drivers who do not carry
cargo area occupants, drivers who do were more likely to:
- 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
Prevention Recommendations
- 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.
Tools*
Educational
- 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 4th to 6thgrade.
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
Legislative
- 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
Data
- 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
* Resources are provided
as general information. Studies examining their effectiveness in reducing the
burden of injury have not been conducted.
Citations
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.
For more information:
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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