Child pedestrian injuries at tram and bus stops

In order to analyse these injuries and to create guidelines for prevention, injuries at bus or tram stops were analysed retrospectively. Medical records were analysed and questionnaires were sent to the parents in order to obtain detailed information about the mode and physical sequelae or post-traumatic behavioural disturbances of the injury.Thirty children of a median age of 9.5 years (2.7-15.3 years) were treated within a 6-year period. Sixteen out of 30 children (53.3%) were injured on their way to school and 3 (10.0%) on their way to kindergarten. Nine out of 30 children (30%) were injured when crossing the street from behind the bus or the tram. Five children (16.7%) were injured by buses, 6 (20.0%) by trams and 19 (63.3%) by passing motorised vehicles. Twelve (40.0%) were injured in the presence of accompanying adults. In 17 of 30 cases (56.7%) the visibility of the vehicle and/or the child was obstructed. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 4.5 (1-75) and the mortality rate 2 out of 30 (6.7%), both children had been killed at bus stops alongside country roads. Nine out of 28 surviving children (32.1%) suffer from minor physical sequelae and 6 (21.4%) from post-traumatic behavioural disturbances. Crossing the road from behind a bus in the area of a stop alongside a country road is extremely dangerous. It is mandatory to increase the safety at bus stops along country roads.