Traffic Safety Facts 2013 : children.

For the purpose of this fact sheet, children are defined as people 14 and younger. Motor vehicle traffic crashes were the leading cause of death for children age 4 and the second leading cause of death for children age 3 and every age 5 through 14 in 2013.1 In this fact sheet, the 2013 children information is presented in the following order: * Overview * Restraint Use and Effectiveness * Pedestrians * Pedal-cyclists * Children in Alcohol-Impaired Driving Crashes * Children Traffic Fatalities by State * Important Safety Reminders In 2013: * There were 61 million children in the United States, 19 percent of the total U.S. population. * Of the 32,719 traffic fatalities in the United States, 1,149 (4%) were children. * The 1,149 child traffic fatalities were a 2-percent decrease from 1,173 in 2012. * The estimated 172,000 children injured in traffic crashes were a 2-percent increase from 169,000 in 2012. * On average, 3 children were killed and an estimated 470 children were injured every day in the United States in traffic crashes. * Boys accounted for 55 percent of child traffic fatalities and an estimated 48 percent of children injured in traffic crashes. From 2004 to 2013, the number of child fatalities in traffic crashes decreased by 47 percent, with the 8-to-14 age group showing the largest decrease (54%). Figure 1 shows the child fatality trends of four age groups (under 1, 1 to 3, 4 to 7, and 8 to 14 years old) in traffic crashes from 2004 to 2013. This fact sheet contains information on motor vehicle fatalities and fatal crashes, based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). FARS is a census of fatal crashes within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (although Puerto Rico is not included in U.S. totals). Crash and injury statistics are based on data from the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) General Estimates System (GES). The NASS GES is a probability-based sample of police-reported crashes, from 60 locations across the country, from which estimates of national totals for injury and property-damage-only crashes are derived. (Author/publisher)