Infants and toddlers continue to be restrained at high use levels when riding in motor vehicles, while use among children ages 4-7 has declined. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only probability-based observed data on child restraint use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Specifically, 98 percent of infants and 93 percent of children ages 1-3 observed in passenger vehicles stopped at a stop sign or stoplight in 2004 were restrained in some type of restraint, whether a rear- or front-facing safety seat, a booster seat, or a safety belt. In contrast, only 73 percent of children ages 4-7 were restrained, down from 83 percent two years ago. The 2004 survey also found the following: * Drivers who restrain themselves continue to be more likely to restrain their child passengers. In 2004, 86 percent of 0-7 year old children driven by belted drivers were restrained, compared to 50 percent for children with unbelted drivers. This suggests that getting adults to buckle up may also result in more restrained children; * In 2004, there was marked improvement in placing child passengers in the rear seats, away from the possible harm of a front-seat air bag. However, older children continue to be in the front seat far too often, with 14 percent of children ages 4-7 observed in the front seat; and * the survey found mixed results on the types of restraints used for children. Fewer infants are being prematurely graduated to front-facing safety seats and fewer children ages 1-3 to booster seats, but more infants were restrained in safety belts and backless booster seats. (Author/publisher)
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