摘要：This study identified specific regional risk factors for the high rate of pediatric pedestrian trauma in Florida. Of the 29 cases studied prospectively, 3 (10%) occurred near ice cream trucks and 13 (45%) involved “dart-outs”; mean hospital charges were $24 478 ±$43 939. Recommendations included an engineering change for a dangerous intersection, and a population-based recommendation was to equip ice cream trucks with extending stop signs. Approximately 30 000 children are struck by cars each year in the United States. 1 Florida is home to 4 of the 5 most dangerous cities for pedestrians in this country, and the mortality rate after pedestrian trauma (3.9 per 100 000) is higher than the national average (2.3 per 100 000). 2 Pediatric pedestrian injuries are frequently encountered at our trauma referral center in Miami, Florida. Efforts to reduce the rates of pedestrian injury previously centered primarily on education programs and met with little success. 3 This may be partly due to an absence of data from prospective studies. Broad demographic trends and socioeconomic and geographic risk factors identified in the literature are often either region-specific or too generalized to be useful in the creation of practical, site-specific prevention strategies. The purpose of this study was to outline the distribution, determinants, and effects of pediatric pedestrian trauma (PPT) in our community. We hypothesized that careful data collection would uncover community-specific PPT risk factors and suggest avenues for prevention and resource allocation.
