Questions & Answers

2. Is it safe to allow a child to ride in the front seat of a car?

No. Head-on crashes are the most common kind of car accident. Also, many cars now have passenger side air bags meant to protect a person riding in the front seat in the case of an accident. However, the impact of the air bag itself can be enough to kill or seriously injure a child riding in the front seat. Children under the age of 13 should not ride in the front seat.

4. At which age do deaths from falls occur more frequently and why?

Both the number of falls and the seriousness of fall-related injuries, including death, increase after age 60, and more dramatically after 75 for several reasons. As people age, their physical condition changes. For example, when standing up quickly, older people can experience a drop in blood pressure, which can cause dizziness or fainting, leading to a fall. They may have problems with their balance or poor vision due to cataracts, or lose the inability to react quickly to an environmental hazard, such as a loose step or an obstacle in their path.

5. Why is unintentional suffocation the leading cause of injury death among infants?

Unintentional suffocation is common in children under the age of 1 mainly due to sleeping conditions. A child may get their face trapped in soft bedding, between a mattress and the wall or between cushions. Or an adult who is sleeping with the child may accidentally roll onto the child, smothering him or her. All these situations deprive the child of the ability to cry and alert a parent of their distress. Suffocation can also occur if a child chokes on a toy or food item or becomes entangled in a rope or a cord.

6. Can excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages result in accidental poisoning?

Yes. Alcohol is considered a depressant which, if drunk in excess, can suppress breathing and the gag reflex (which prevents choking), resulting in death. Excessive drinking can also lead to severe vomiting, which can be deadly if it causes an unconscious person to choke on their vomit. People who “pass out” after too much drinking are still at risk. The alcohol in their blood continues to circulate and may cause unconsciousness and breathing cessation, also leading to death. Confusion, stupor, unconsciousness, vomiting, seizures, [and] slow or irregular breathing are all symptoms of alcohol poisoning. If alcohol overdose is suspected, call 911 for immediate help.

7. Why is the motor vehicle accident rate high in teens?

Teenagers are four times more likely to be involved in car accidents than any other age group. Teens are much more apt to drive recklessly, ignore the speed limit, fail to yield, drive too closely to cars in front of them and fail to use seatbelts. In addition, having another teenager in the car increases the likelihood of an accident. They are often chatting, playing with the radio, making calls or texting on their cell phones — all distractions that can cause an accident. Substance abuse combined with driving is also a problem among teen drivers. Most teen accidents occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and are related to drug or alcohol use — which impairs driving ability. Finally, teenagers are less experienced than other drivers. They often misgauge stopping time, turns, speeds of other cars and fail to adapt their driving in adverse weather conditions appropriately.

Elizabeth J. Donahue of the Disparities Solutions Center participated in the preparation of these responses.