Accuracy of police crash reports in determining child restraint usage and injury severity in the United States

The increasing availability of data sets linking police reports with injury outcomes data has provided new opportunities for assessing the effectiveness of safety legislation and technology. This study compares the accuracy of police crash reports from US states with the results of in-depth investigations for pediatric passengers of motor vehicle crashes. Although police reports of patient demographic characteristics and seating position were relatively accurate, reports of restraint use classifications and air bag deployment data were less accurate. As linked data sets become more widely available, it will become increasingly important for researchers and policy makers to understand the limitations of these data with respect to child passenger safety.