This issue brief describes findings from Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS), the nation's largest surveillance system of children in car crashes, and points to improvements in child restraints that can reduce the risk of serious injury in the event of a crash. The authors begin by briefly reviewing the goals and activities of PCPS, then report statistics on child automobile restraints, including child safety seats, shield or belt-positioning booster seats, or adult seat belts. These statistics reveal that in nearly half of all cases, restraint use and seating position did not conform to current best practice. Misuse lowers the effectiveness of car seats, primarily by increasing the movement of a child's head in a crash. The authors go on to describe the types of injuries children sustain in car crashes and what they are likely to hit inside the vehicle during a crash. Premature graduation of preschoolers to adult seat belts greatly increases the risk of serious injuries in crashes. The authors call for evidence-based improvements in engineering, education, and legislation in order to enhance protection of young children in automobiles. They outline a few of the programs in place, including model state legislation that would promote uniform application of current child-restraint guidelines.
Samenvatting