Untitled Document

Study: Booster seat use low among youngsters

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released results of a major survey showing that relatively few children who should be riding in booster seats are doing so.

The nationwide telephone survey indicates that just 21 percent of children age 4-8 are “at least on occasion” riding in a booster seat while traveling in a passenger vehicle. Another 19 percent of children in this age range were restrained “at least on occasion” in a front-facing child safety seat.

“This survey shows that children are at unnecessary risk of being injured in a crash because they’re either in the wrong safety seat for their size – or worse, riding without any kind of safety restraint at all,” said Josephine O’Connor of ITD’s Office of Traffic and Highway Safety (OTHS).

Children are safer and generally more comfortable in a seat belt that fits, which is what a booster seat provides, O’Connor adds.

ITD and NHTSA offer four simple ways to increase safety for children riding in motor vehicles:

1. REAR-FACING INFANT SEATS in the back seat from birth to at least 1 year old and less than 20 pounds.

2. FORWARD-FACING TODDLER SEATS in the back seat from age 1 to about age 4, or 20 to 40 pounds.

3. BOOSTER SEATS in the back seat from about age 4 to at least age 8, or taller than 4 feet 9 inches.

4. SAFETY BELTS at age 8 or older, or taller than 4 feet 9 inches. All children 12 and younger, or less than 100 pounds, should ride in the back seat and never in front of an air bag.

Children who have outgrown their child safety seat should ride in a booster seat until they are at least eight years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall, according to NHTSA. Children placed in poorly fitting adult safety belts can suffer serious life-threatening injuries or risk being ejected from a vehicle in the event of a crash.

According to the survey, 85 percent of the parents and caregivers of young children had knowledge of booster seats. Among those who were aware of booster seats, 60 percent said they had used them “at some time” with their children.

During 2001-2003 in Idaho, 66 percent of the children age 4-8 who died in motor vehicle crashes were not using any type of safety restraint. Yet, almost 70 percent of Idahoans have heard of or received information about booster seats, according to a 2004 OTHS survey.

New York recently became the 27th state to adopt a booster seat law; the law will take effect on March 1, 2005. All of the states that border Idaho, with the exception of Utah, have booster seat laws.

NHTSA’s new findings on child passenger safety are taken from a national survey to monitor the public’s attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported behavior regarding safety belts, air bags, crash injury experience and emergency medical services.

The survey results also provide an array of information on other child passenger safety issues.

The release of survey findings coincides with the launch of a national education campaign to increase booster seat use. Called “Boost for Life,” the campaign is led by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA).

The campaign will involve public awareness efforts by dealerships throughout the country. Dealers will conduct child safety seat inspection programs for the public and will distribute at least 5,000 NHTSA brochures to promote booster seat use.

For more information about appropriate child safety seats, visit http://www.itd.idaho.gov/ohs/ChildSafety/index.html

The new research report can be viewed on the NHTSA website at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/traffic_tech/2004/TrafficTech294/index.html