This paper describes the magnitude of injuries to child pedestrians and cyclists in Long Beach, CA, USA, and identified risk factors for these injuries. The study sample consisted of 288 Long Beach residents, aged under 15, who were involved in a car-pedestrian or car-bicycle accident between 1 September 1988 and 31 August 1990; 15 of these children died in the accidents. Cases were identified retrospectively, using hospital charts, police records, and coroners' reports. A nested case-control study was conducted, to examine the street environments where children were injured, and identify environmental risk factors at these sites. The single most common type of accident was 'midblock dart-out'. Most accidents occurred on residential streets, but injury risk was greatest on the larger boulevards; injuries tended to cluster by region within the city. Adjusted odds ratios show that accident sites had a larger proportion of traffic exceeding local speed limits, and that they were about four times more likely than control sites to be near a convenience store, petrol station, or fast food shop. The study's results suggest that injuries to child pedestrians and cyclists could be reduced by education, law enforcement, and environmental modification.
Abstract