The "Kid" Factor

A child is growing….a child's physiology is changing and maturing at a sometimes very rapid pace. There is nothing parallel in adult physiology and this creates unique challenges when treating traumatic injuries in a child.
Children have a longer life expectancy. Therefore they have longer to live with the debilitating impacts of injury and more "life years" at stake.
Children are politically powerless; they are defenseless. With no political standing of their own, they must rely on adults to protect them and advocate for their best interests.
Children have much more limited ability to understand danger and move out of situations which could result in injury. This characteristic is obvious in babies, but persists through toddler's exploratory behavior and even into the high-risk behaviors seen in adolescence.