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as well as for law professionals in accident investigations.
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See our free consumer journal for automobile and road users,
three subscription journals on road maintenance, engineering,
and injury litigation, and a highway safety publications catalog.
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Most Injuries from Vehicle Power Windows Are to Children
A recent study of injuries associated with motor vehicle power windows showed that
these injuries were generally to the finger, wrist, or hand and that children suffered
most of the injuries.
This study, described in a U.S. Department of Transportation "Research Note"
entitled "Injuries Associated with Hazards Involving Motor Vehicle Power Windows"
(May 1997), was completed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
(NHTSA's) National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) using data from the
Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) National Electronic Injury
Surveillance System (NEISS). NEISS collects its data "from a sample of 91 of the
6,127 hospitals nationwide with at least six beds that provide emergency care on a
continuing 24-hour basis."
NEISS uses a three-level information-gathering process:
- surveillance of emergency room injuries;
- follow-back telephone interviews with injured persons or witnesses; and
- comprehensive investigations with injured persons and/or witnesses.
The researchers estimated that 499 people with injuries attributed to power windows
were treated in emergency rooms from October 1, 1993 through September 30,
1994. Ninety-three percent of the injuries were associated with passenger car
power windows, and 91 percent of the patients did not require hospitalization.
The cause of 88 percent of the reported injuries was unintentionally closing the
power window on a person's hand, wrist, or finger. Nine percent of the remaining
injuries resulted from a faulty power window, and the other 4 percent from an
incident related to working on a power window and/or being cut by broken glass.
(The percentages do not add up due to the method used to round the numbers.)
Table 1 details the types of injuries received, with fractures and crushing being the
most common power-window injuries.
Table 1
Estimated Number of Persons Injured by M/V
Power Windows by Injury Diagnosis
October 1993 - September 1994
| Diagnosis |
Estimated No.
of Persons Injured |
% Total |
| Fracture |
192 |
38% |
| Crushing |
150 |
30% |
| Contusion or Abrasion |
77 |
15% |
| Dislocation |
43 |
9% |
| Laceration |
19 |
4% |
| Strain or Sprain |
18 |
4% |
| Total |
499 |
100% |
All of the injuries cited in Table 1 were to the finger (77 percent), wrist (12 percent),
or hand (11 percent). Hospitals did not categorize any of the injuries as severe;
however, 47 percent of the injuries were considered "moderate." The remaining 53
percent were classified as "minor."
Table 2 provides a breakdown of injuries by age. The majority of injuries caused by
vehicle power windows are to children, with 64 percent affecting children under 15.
Table 2
Estimated Number of Persons Injured by M/V
Power Windows by Age
October 1993 - September 1994
| Age of Person |
Estimated No.
of Persons Injured |
% Total |
| 0-5 Years |
158 |
32% |
| 6-14 Years |
158 |
32% |
| 15-29 Years |
68 |
14% |
| 30-44 Years |
38 |
8% |
45-59 Years |
43 |
9% |
Over 60 Years |
34 |
7% |
Total |
499 |
100% |
For a copy of this "Research Note," call 202-366-4198 or 1-800-934-8517 or visit the
NHTSA website at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa. Contacts for questions:
Henri Richardson (202-366-5354); Delmas Johnson (202-366-5382).
Copyright © 1997 by TranSafety, Inc.
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