Driver and road characteristics associated with child pedestrian injuries

Child pedestrians make up a significant proportion of all road traffic deaths. Our primary objective was to examine the association of driver characteristics with child pedestrian injuries with a secondary objective to broadly describe the road characteristics surrounding these collisions.

We included drivers involved in child (<18 years old) pedestrian motor-vehicle collisions (PMVCs) in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta (2010-2015). These drivers were compared with not at fault (Alberta adaptation of a Canadian culpability scoring tool) drivers involved in vehicle-only collisions. The data were analyzed with unconditional logistic regression.

Seven hundred ninety-three drivers collided with 826 children. One quarter of child PMVC drivers were 40-54 years old (25.2%). Younger drivers, 16-24 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.27-2.09), and older drivers, ≥55 (aOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.24-1.99) were more likely to be involved in a child PMVC. Time of day between 06:01 - 09:00 (aOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.16-1.85) and 18:01 - 24:00 (aOR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.30-2.17), no seatbelt use (aOR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.09-4.85), having a child passenger in the vehicle (aOR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.56-2.96), and impairment including 'had been drinking' (aOR = 7.70, 95% CI: 2.85-20.86) and 'fatigued/asleep/medical defect' (aOR = 27.15, 95% CI: 8.30-88.88) were also associated with being a driver involved in a child PMVC.

Age, time, impairment and distraction were risk factors for being a driver involved in a child PMVC. Because child PMVC driver characteristics differ from the general driver population, driver-based interventions are a rational additional means of preventing child PMVCs.