The restraint use for all children from birth to 7 years old stood at 87 percent in 2008 compared to 89 percent in 2007. This result is from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which provides the only nationwide probability-based observed data on child restraint use in the United States. The NOPUS is conducted annually by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2008 survey also found the following: * Restraint use for children driven by belted drivers continued to be higher than for those driven by unbelted drivers. * Most children continued to ride in the rear seats of vehicles: 99 percent of infants in 2008 rode in rear seats, a significant increase from 95 percent in 2007; meanwhile 98 percent of children age 1 to 3 and 88 percent of children 4 to 7 rode in rear seats in 2008. * Child restraint use continued to be higher in the West than other parts of the country in 2008; however, child restraint use in the Northeast fell significantly from 88 percent in 2007 to 82 percent in 2008. (Author/publisher)
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