Throughout the United States, many people and organizations are working to promote motor vehicle occupant protection for children, youth, and young adults. In spite - of the great strides made in this country, every year, thousands of young people die or experience serious injuries that could have been prevented had they been properly restrained in child safety seats, booster seats, or seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has produced this booklet since 2002 to explain the need for legislation, enforcement, education, and public awareness campaigns about protecting children, youth, and young adults in motor vehicles. Collectively, this information underscores why protecting young people is so important. The majority of data in this fact book comes from 2013, the most recent year data was available. It has been generated from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the General Estimates System (GES) produced by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) at NHTSA. Data from NHTSA’s 2013 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) is also included. The facts in this booklet can be used to develop speeches and presentations, public information and education publications, backgrounders, and news releases for the media, and to promote the use of occupant restraints in conjunction with law enforcement officials. States and local communities have vital roles to play in creating a national norm that makes it unacceptable to ride unrestrained in a motor vehicle. Our national goal must be to make child safety seats and seat belts lifelong habits for everyone. The discussion refers to young people according to these age groups. • Children: newborns to age 7 • Youth: 8 to 15 (in some States 15-year-olds are permitted to obtain learner’s permits, so they are sometimes included as “young drivers”) • Young adults: 16 to 20 The booklet has five main sections. • The national scope of motor vehicle crashes • The need for and importance of appropriately sized restraint systems for each age group • Facts about restraint use for children and youth from birth to 15 years old • Facts about restraint use for young adults 16 to 20 • Biennial telephone survey findings from NHTSA’s 2007 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey (MVOSS) on the behavior, attitudes, and opinions about seat belts and seat belt laws, including those of 16- to 20-year-olds. Three appendices cover State-specific information on fatalities, restraint use, and child restraint laws. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting