Each year, in the United States, approximately 200 persons die from pickup truck bed-related injuries, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Analysis, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death from falls and ejections from pickup truck beds. Survivors of these incidents may suffer permanent disabilities. The cargo area, or bed of the pickup, is a non-passenger area that was not designed to safely carry passengers. Studies in California found that persons riding in the cargo area of pickups were more likely to be ejected and to be more seriously injured than persons riding in the cab. Pickup bed-related TBI's may be more likely to occur today because of the increase in the popularity of the pickup truck, both as a work vehicle and a recreational vehicle. The number of light trucks registered in 1975 amounted to 20 million, rising to 39 million in 1991. Most TBI's from the bed of a pickup occur from a moving vehicle, although they may also occur while the vehicle is stationary. Many people fail to recognise the dangers of travelling or playing in the back of a pickup truck. Data has been collected state-wide on hospitalised and fatal TBIs in Oklahoma since 1992. This update describes the 64 TBI's which were related to either falling or being ejected from the bed of a moving pickup truck from 1992 to 1995. (Ten injuries that occurred as a result of a fall from a non-moving pickup bed and 9 injuries from a pickup with an unknown moving status were not included in this analysis.) (A)
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