In the United States, 1543 child passengers aged 0 to 15 years died in motor vehicle crashes in 2002, and 227,000 sustained severe injuries requiring emergency treatment. More than two thirds of the children fatally injured were completely unrestrained, restrained improperly, or prematurely graduated to lap/shoulder belts. Observational studies have concluded that fewer than 10% of these children aged 5 to 8 years were restrained in a booster seat. Because car seats are designed for infants and lap/shoulder belts are designed for adults, the omitted group, school-age children, are at especially high risk for injury if not properly secured by a restraint device. Nurses are in a pivotal position to provide families with counseling, health education, and "anticipatory guidance to promote and advocate pediatric motor vehicle occupant safety." The objectives of this article are to discuss motor vehicle crash dynamics, federal safety standards, misuse, risk factors, barriers to optimal restraint, and injury prevention strategies to promote the healthy development of the school-age child. (Author/publisher)
Abstract