As children age injury risk heightens

As children age, their risk of injury or death in a motor vehicle crash increases significantly due to improper child restraint use, according to a joint report issued by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance, Bloomington, III.

Key factors for this heightened risk are moving youngsters from child restraints to adult seat belts and then to the front seat prematurely. In fact, the report found that 46% of kids ages four to eight were restrained improperly in adult seat belts, making them three times more likely to be injured in a crash than younger infants and toddlers.

"There is a crucial step many parents are missing: Kids need to use a booster seat from around age four until they're 4'9" tall," advises Kristy Arbogast, director of field engineering at The Children's Hospital. "As children get older, their risk of being injured in a crash increases, primarily because they're being moved from the protection of child seats with harnesses, directly into adult seat belts, and into the front seat. All children need to be seated in the back seat until age 13."

For children under the age of eight, following the guidelines for age- and size-appropriate restraint--every ride, every time--can reduce the risk of serious injury in a vehicle crash to less than one percent. "[This report] serves as a reminder that we need to continue taking steps to ensure all children are protected on the road," stresses Susan Hood, claims vice president for State Farm.

"Motor vehicle crashes are the number-one killer of children over the age of one, and many of these tragedies could have been prevented with the proper use of vehicle safety restraints."

COPYRIGHT 2006 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning