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Despite the massive advances in child passenger safety over the years, unintentional accidents, including car accidents, remain a problem. leading cause of death for children ages 4 and older, according to the CDC. It is essential that guardians select the right car restraint device for a child.
In an effort to combat the inappropriate use of restraint systems among child passengers, the Transportation Recall Improvement, Liability, and Documentation Act directed authorities review the use of car seats and issue relevant guidelines. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration subsequently published extensive guidelines guide parents and guardians towards the most suitable type of seat for the age, weight and height of their child. Even with additional guidance, misuse persists among the population.
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The general statistics collected from the National Survey on the Use of Booster Seats 2021 to identify discrepancies between recommended child restraint use and observed use. The survey is a nationally representative sample of child restraint use in the United States, where the population of children observed includes newborns through 12-year-olds traveling in passenger vehicles that stop at four types of locations data collection: gas stations, fast food restaurants, day care centers and recreation centers. The survey collects the observed use of child restraint systems along with interviews with the adult occupant of the vehicle.
The survey considers an occupant to be “restrained” if they use a rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, high-back booster seat, backless booster seat, or seat belt. An “unbelted” passenger does not use any restraint device, including a seat belt. This category also includes improperly fastened or fastened seat belts.
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1 in 4 young children are improperly restrained while riding in a vehicle
Just over a quarter of children between the ages of 4 and 7 are improperly restrained in vehicles. Of them, 16.1% are secured with only a seat belt and 10.6% do not have a seat belt at all.
While seat belt use is effective in protecting older children and adults, it is not enough to secure children under 12 years of age. According to the CDC, using a car seat can reduce a child’s risk of injury during an accident by more than 70% compared to wearing a seat belt alone.
Most children are restrained in an age-appropriate manner: 42.2% of children observed in the NSUBS study were restrained in forward-facing car seats and the remaining 31% were restrained in booster seats.
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While most babies younger than 1 year are successfully in rear-facing seats, more than 13% of children ages 1-3 years transition to forward-facing seats too soon
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children must be restrained in rear-facing seats up to 2 to 4 years, depending on their height, weight and the limits indicated by the seat manufacturer. Those who transition to forward-facing seats too early face a higher risk of injury in crashes.
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents and guardians to use rear-facing car seats for as long as possible as they provide the greatest protection against car accidents. Despite this, only a third of US states require rear-facing seats until the child is 2 years old. While it may be perfectly legal to transition a child to a forward-facing seat before they outgrow it, it’s not. always safe
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More than 25% of children 4-7 years of age incorrectly remove themselves from car seats
The right car restraint for a child can vary greatly between the ages of 4 and 7. It largely depends on the child’s height, weight, and seat manufacturer’s requirements, but it’s usually a forward-facing car seat or booster seat.
Despite this variability, Almost three quarters of children between the ages of 4 and 7 are secured in a car seat appropriate for their size—a 3.7% increase over the 2019 edition of the NSUBS survey. Similarly, the use of forward-facing car seats increased nearly 10% between 2019 and 2021.
Still, more than a quarter of children were found to be improperly restrained – guardians should pay close attention to the height and weight requirements of the selected seat.
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Older children remained unrestricted at a similar rate in 2021 compared to 2019
While there has been progress among some categories in terms of the proper use of automotive restraint systems, others have remained stagnant. In 2021, 13.2% of children aged 8 to 12 had no restrictions in the car—a slight increase from 2019. Among other types of restrictions, however, compliance improved year-over-year.
The percentage of children under age 13 who are between 37 and 53 inches tall who fit properly in forward-facing car seats increased from 13.9% to 42.9%. Likewise, in 2021, the subjects improperly decreased by more than 9% to 30.4%.
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Following the manufacturer’s guidelines for the use of car seats is the best way to ensure that children are more protected
Unfortunately, there is no single approach to selecting the best car restraint device for a child. Use of restraints among all children under 13s is still relatively high at 89.8%, but ensuring their complete safety requires careful selection of the right seat for their height and weight.
The safest car seat for a child is one that is specifically designed to fit the child’s size according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. Similarly, when transitioning from car seats, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises guardians to use car seats until the child is big enough for the seat belt to fit properly, since the belt sits snugly across the upper thighs instead of the stomach.
Written by: Colleen Kilday. Additional research by Sam Larson. Story editing by Brian Budzynski. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Selection of photographs by Abigail Renaud.
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