OBJECTIVETo describe the characteristics of child pedestrian traffic injuries among aged 0-14 years old in Guangzhou city and to provide information on road, vehicle and human injuries in pedestrian.

METHODSA database of all motor vehicle crashes involving child pedestrian traffic injury cases over a five-year period (2000-2004), was from the police department.

RESULTSThe annual pedestrian traffic injury rates on incidence, mortality and case fatality were 17.63/ 1,100,000, 1.78/ 100,000 and 10.07% respectively. Both incidence rate and mortality peaked in the 5-9 age group were 26.80/ 100,000 and 2.57/ 100,000, with case fatality peaked in the 0-4 age group (13.29%). For males, the incidence (20.98/ 100,000) and mortality (2.00/ 100,000) were higher than that in females (13.83/ 100,000, and 1.52/ 100,000). The main injured parts of body would include multi-areas (40.34%), head (26.75%) and lower limbs (21.53%). 10.07% of the cases died and 66.18% and 23.75% of them having had severe and slight injures. The major causes were due to drivers (57.50%) and pedestrians (33.47%) faults with top three responsible vehicles were cars (40.14%), two-wheeled motorcycles (34.38%) and vans (22.15%).

CONCLUSIONData from pediatric pedestrian injury poses a threat to children and adolescents, data suggesting that it is important to change behaviors of both drivers and pedestrians.