Abstract
A survey was conducted regarding 141 persons injured in traffic accidents who were transported to the Critical Care Center of Kurume University in 1992. The number of persons who died as a result of the accidents was 33 (23.4%). The mortality rates in car-car collisons was 18.6%. Eleven subjects (20.8%) had their seat belt fastened. There was no difference between the mortality rate of the injured who had their seat belt fastened (group 1) and those who did not (group 2). AIS and ISS were evaluated in both groups. The results of this evaluation in group 1 revealed, an AIS score of 1.8±1.1 for the head and neck region and of 2.0±0.9 for the chest region. The corresponding AIS scores for the head and neck region and chest area in group 2 were 3.7±1.3, and 3.2±1.2, respectively. The AIS scores for the head and neck and chest were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p<0.005, p<0.05). The ISS score was also significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (25.8±13.4 versus 13.9±10.7) (p<0.01). Thus, the findings demonstrate that both injuries of the head and neck region as well as of the chest were fatal more often when the injured were not restrained by seat belts. We conclude that fastening seat belts is a necessary safety measure.
