Paper
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Evidence-Based Practice Implications for Public Policy
The Need for International Ejection Prevention Standards/Programs Based on Injury/Fatality Data and Successful Ejection Prevention Programs Adopted in the United States of America
Andrea L. Williams, RN, PhD, Trauma/Burn, UW School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA and Patricia D. Padjen, RN, PhD, Emergency Medical & Trauma Services, University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, Madison, WI, USA.
Learning Objective #1: Understand the relationship between motor vehicle ejection injuries/fatalities to motor vehicle crash trends in the USA and internationally.
Learning Objective #2: Compare state specific laws and programs for adoption by the international community.
The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2020 motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) will move from 9th to 6th in the ranking as a cause of death, second in years of life lost and third in disability-adjusted years.  Although statistics on “road crash” deaths are available through data bases such as the International Road Traffic & Accident Database (OECD); the Multi-Country Statistical Road Crash Database; US National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), World Heath Organization, Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) through the World Bank, International Road Federation (IRF), regional and country specific databases; and TRL Publications; ejection data is limited.


Each year in the US approximately 52,900 ejections occur.  Thirty-two percent, (10,300) result in fatality (Wilke, 2003).  Ejection is one of the most injurious events that can happen to a person in a MVC.  Findings from fatal crashes in 2002 documented that 73 percent of passenger vehicle occupants were killed, if they were totally ejected from the vehicle.  Safety belts are effective in preventing total ejections:  Only 1 percent of the occupants reported to have been using restraints were totally ejected, compared with 30 percent in unrestrained occupants (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, 2002).


Injury prevention programs focus on promoting seat belt use through mandatory seat belt legislation, seat belt reminder alarms, and sTEPS (Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs in Canada, Europe, & the US), a combination of seat belt enforcement and simultaneous mass media campaign.


Needless deaths and skyrocketing health care costs occur as a result of MVCs with ejection.  Yet, as motor vehicle use and miles driven increases worldwide, ejection statistics are limited in the US and unavailable in many countries of the world.


The purpose of this investigation was to define the scope of ejection data internationally, identify ejection prevention efforts, and propose an international ejection prevention program.

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