Every year in the United States, over 400 children between the ages of four and eight lose their lives in motor vehicle crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2005). Such crashes are by far the leading cause of death for children in this age group, and account for approximately half of their unintentional injury related deaths (Office of Statistics and Programming, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005). Children of this age group who survive a crash often sustain debilitating injuries with lifelong sequelae. These injuries can frequently be attributed to improper restraint of the child in an ill-fitting seatbelt designed for adults. This article will focus on the dangers of motor vehicle crashes for children who have outgrown their car seats but are still too small to use a seat belt alone, discuss the safety benefits of belt positioning booster seat use, identify barriers to booster seat use, and provide strategies for effectively educating parents within the clinical setting. (Author/publisher)
Abstract