National Child Passenger Safety Week – February 11-17
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. In the United States during 2004, 1,638 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes and approximately 214,000 were injured. That’s an average of 5 deaths and more than 586 injuries each day (NHTSA 2005a).
Of the children ages 0 to 14 years who were killed in motor vehicle crashes during 2004, half were unrestrained (NHTSA 2005a).
Most of these injuries could have been prevented. Placing children in age- and size-appropriate restraint systems reduces serious and fatal injuries by more than half (NHTSA 2005a).
National Child Passenger Safety Week occurs each year during the week of Valentine’s Day, bringing public attention to the importance of safely transporting children.
Department of Transportation (US), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Traffic Safety Facts 2004: Children. Washington (DC): NHTSA; 2005a. Available from URL: www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2004/809906.pdf. [cited 2005 Dec 30].
Booster Seats Use
Children should start using a booster seat when they grow out of their child safety seats (usually when they weigh about 40 pounds). They should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap/shoulder belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are 4’9” tall (CDC 1999).
- What is a booster seat?
Children require a lap and shoulder belt combination. Belt-positioning booster seats raise children up so that this belt combination fits correctly. Shield booster seats, which have a plastic shield in front of the child, offer less protection and should not be used.
- Why use a booster seat?
Booster seats have been shown to reduce injury risk by 59% compared to safety belts alone, for children ages 4 to 7 years (Durbin 2003).
- Seat use during life
- Infants must always be placed in rear-facing seats until they are at least one year old and 20 pounds.
- Children between 20 and 40 pounds should be placed in forward-facing safety seats.
- When your child outgrows his or her forward-facing safety seat, use a booster seat until your child is at least 8 years old or over 4-feet 9-inches tall.(1) Seat belts alone are made for adults. A booster seat raises a child up so the seat belt fits. This will prevent your child from being thrown from the car, or thrown around inside it, during a crash.
- Children who have outgrown booster seats should use seat belts.
Durbin DR, Elliott MR, Winston FK. Belt-positioning booster seats and reduction in risk of injury among children in vehicle crashes. JAMA 2003;289(14):2835–40.
- For more information
Check out the following web sites to learn more about child passenger safety age- and size-appropriate restraint recommendations:
