Pediatric motor vehicle related deaths in King County, Washington: Using Child Death Review to create meaningful change for traffic safety

Abstract

IntroductionMotor vehicle collisions were the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in children aged 1–17 years in the USA from 2011 to 2019 and was the fourth leading cause of death in King County, WA in children aged 0–17 in 2020. MethodsCases included children 0–17 years of age who resided in King County Washington State and died between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020 due to motor vehicle collisions as identified by the King County Medical Examiner's Office and reviewed through the county's Child Death Review (CDR) process. Cases were then scrubbed of unique identifiers and presented to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to identify additional priorities and strategies for prevention. ResultsCDR identified 22 traffic related deaths in pediatrics 0–17 years of age between 2016 and 2020. Of the deaths, 68.18% were male, 13.64% (n = 3) were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 72.73% (n = 16) of cases were in South King County/Vashon Island. 59.09% (n = 13) were passengers in the vehicle. The most common contributing factor (59.09%, n = 13) was speed followed by alcohol and/or drugs 45.45% (n = 10), and unrestrained individuals 27.27% (n = 6). The CDR team developed recommendations for implementation to improve safety. ConclusionThe local CDR process and secondary review with state-wide partners can support the identification of critical prevention efforts and lead to lasting traffic safety changes to contribute to preventing future traffic related serious injuries and deaths. This combined process can be used as a model practice by other local CDRs for the identification and implementation of traffic safety prevention measures.