Environmental Health
Environmental Health
Shruti Natarajan (she/her/hers)
Medical Student
McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, Texas, United States
One of the leading causes of child death is motor vehicle accidents. Between 2017-2020, 2,409 children and adolescents died from pedestrian injuries and even more suffered nonfatal injuries. Pedestrian crashes occur more frequently when safe crossing infrastructure is missing and in areas of lower socioeconomic status however, literature is limited in children. Data was obtained from a sample of 317 child pedestrian crashes within the Houston area, ages 0-17, using the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Crash Records Information System (CRIS) from 2018-2021. Attributes of these crashes included injury severity, crash location, proximity to intersection, victim ethnicity, and victim gender. Social vulnerability index (SVI), a census tract level score published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was used to determine neighborhood social vulnerability.
Objective: To examine child pedestrian crash characteristics within a major metropolitan area and identify local hotspots that can benefit from focused action through social advocacy or clinic/school based programs.
Design/Methods:
Results: There is a significant association between higher social vulnerability and both increased severity of injury and non-intersection (midblock) crash (p < 0.05). 58% of the child pedestrian injuries were midblock related, while 42% were intersection related. Of total child pedestrian injuries, Black children and Hispanic children of any race each made up 41%, White children made up 15%, and Asian children made up 3%. One crash hotspot was identified in the southwest portion of the city where crash events occurred primarily in the most socially vulnerable neighborhoods within the identified field. Clinics and schools near the hotspot were identified as potential collaborators for intervention.
Conclusion(s): This study is in agreement with prior literature that overall child pedestrian crashes occur at a higher frequency in midblock areas than intersection related areas, Black children or Hispanic children of any race are affected at a disproportionate rate when compared to their white counterparts, and Black children have a higher percentage of severe injuries compared to their Hispanic counterparts. This study adds that midblock crashes occur in more socially vulnerable neighborhoods, possibly due to inequitable infrastructure development. Finally, this study demonstrates the utility of hotspot analysis to identify areas of high pediatric crash activity and their associated characteristics, which may help advocates identify areas to pursue higher quality sidewalk and crosswalk infrastructure.
