The first state law requiring children riding in cars to be restrained by something other than adult-sized belts was passed as recently as 1978. By 1985, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had legislation addressing the issue. But when children outgrow car seats they are usually to small to be adequately protected by adult-scaled restraints and few states require intermediate systems, and few regulations exist describing the best ways such systems should be designed. The result has been what some studies are calling the "forgotten child" syndrome. Coupled with the tendency for child to use restraints less as they grow older, this gap contributes to needless deaths and injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that only 6% of the children who could benefit from using booster seats do so. And federal safety standards have not been developed to address the way these seats should be designed. As of September 2002 most new child safety seats and vehicles will be required to meet a standardized method of latching them to the car. With 90% of Americans supporting increased enforcement of child safety restraint use, providing guidelines for safety needs for the forgotten child should result in wider use of restrains by this group.
Abstract