Introduction to death, post-traumatic stress disorder, and motor vehicle crashes in children and adolescents: A historically delayed realization.

The first steam-powered vehicle is attributed to Ferdinand Verbiest in China made in 1672 for the Kangxi Emperor. The first recorded automobile death was Mary Ward in Ireland who was thrown from a steam-powered car and fell under its wheels in 1869. The first person killed in the United States is recorded as Henry Bliss in New York City on Wednesday, September 13, 1899. As the automobile became popular among all groups of humans, motor vehicle crashes became the major cause of death and disability among children and adolescents. Research initially focused on the physical trauma that motor vehicle accidents or crashes induced, but eventually the psychological toll of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) in the pediatric population became appreciated. This discussion reflects on how this occurred taking the entire 20th century to be acknowledged by researchers, clinicians, parents, and the general society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]