Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC) in Israel’s Pediatric Population Through the Lens of Disaster Medicine

Introduction: Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a major public health concern worldwide and have significant implications for disaster medicine. Methods: A retrospective epidemiological analysis of MVC-related data was conducted using a database of the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. The study population included all children involved in MVCs in Israel between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2022. Results: A total of 94,412 children aged 0-14 years were involved in MVC in Israel over the study period. Of these, 18,995 (20.1%) required hospitalization and treatment. The highest number of casualties occurred among individuals aged 10-14 years (44%), followed by 5-9 years (38%), 2-4 years (14%), and 0-1 years (4%). Pre-hospital and field treatment and evacuation were provided by Basic Life Support ambulances in 6,030 (31.7%) of the cases, mobile intensive care unit (MICU) treatment and evacuation was used in 2,766 (14.5%) of cases, and air transport to a trauma center was utilized in 109 cases (0.6%), military transport occurred in 22 cases (0.1%) of cases. Overall, 13,566 pediatric casualties had an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 1-8 (71.3%), 3381 had an ISS of 9-15 (17.7%), and 1148 had an ISS of 16-24 (6%). Six hundred and ninety children had ISS OF 25-49 (3.6%), and 75 had ISS of 50-75 (0.4%). A total of 586 deaths occurred on the scene, and 2143 children were admitted to intensive care units. Conclusion: MVCs resulted in a relatively high number of casualties and deaths during the 10-year study period. Efforts should be made to reduce the burden of MVCs on the Israeli childhood population.