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NASS: Air Bags And Safety Belts Best Protection From Cervical-Spine Injury By Maury M. Breecher, PhD, MPH SAN DIEGO, CA -- November 7, 2003 -- The combination of airbags and seatbelts, when used by auto passengers and the driver, provide better protection against cervical-spine injury than just seatbelts alone, according to a study presented here October 22nd at the 18th Meeting of the North American Spine Society. Five researchers from University of Alabama-Birmingham, United States, performed a case-control study of 8,412 cases of cervical-spine injury from 1995 to 2001. The authors pointed out that, "Although advances in automobile crashworthiness have reduced both fatalities and some severe injuries, the impact of varying occupant restraint systems (seatbelts and airbags) on cervical-spine injury is unknown." Motor-vehicle-collision-related cervical-spine injury is a severe and often permanently disabling injury. Data were collected from the National Automobile Sampling System to determine whether victims of such injuries were wearing seatbelts at the time of injury, and whether they were traveling in cars with airbags. Approximately half (44.7%) of the cases examined occurred to occupants in 1 of 3 categories: seat-belted only, airbag-use only, or both restraint systems active. Of those injured, 38.2% wore seatbelts in cars without airbags; 8.8% were in cars with airbags, but didn't wear seatbelts; and 8.4% were wearing seatbelts and were in cars with working air bags. Overall, the combined use of airbag and seatbelt had the greatest protective effect, relative to unrestrained occupants, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.19 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.12 to 0.30, the authors reported. Use of a seatbelt only also had a protective effect (OR=0.40, 95% CI=0.23 to 0.70). Occupant use of an airbag only neither increased nor decreased the risk of cervical-spine injuries relative to unrestrained occupants (OR=1.02, 95% CI=0.57 to 2.13). "The results of this study suggest that there is an increase in overall protection against cervical-spine injury by combining airbag and seatbelt restraint systems relative to seatbelt alone," concluded Brian Claytor, MD, Paul MacLennan, PhD, Gerald McGwin, Jr., PhD, Loring Rue, MD, and John Kirkpatrick, MD. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version