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Motor Vehicle Occupant Protection |
This strong acknowledgment of the effect of parental influence on safety belt use speaks to the necessity of maintaining ongoing programs and outreach for children, youth, and parents to encourage the use of occupant restraints. NHTSA’s 2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey (MVOSS) further illustrates this need. In the 2003 MVOSS, researchers asked respondents their level of agreement with the statement, “I have a habit of wearing a seat belt because my parents insisted I wear them when I was a child.” Among persons 16 to 24 years of age, 69 percent either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with this statement. Occupant Restraints for All Age Groups Save Lives
Chart 5 Occupant Fatalities in
2002 Closing the Gaps in Occupant Restraint Laws Can Save Young LivesAll States (except New Hampshire) have adult safety belt laws and all States have child restraint laws requiring the driver to restrain children of specified ages in approved child restraint devices or safety belts. These laws, however, do not cover all occupants in all seating positions. In the majority of States, laws concerning the use of child restraint devices cover children only up to age 4, and laws concerning the use of adult safety belts cover only front-seat occupants, leaving large groups of children uncovered by any occupant protection law. For example, in some States, a 10-year-old can ride legally in the back seat without being secured because, at this age and in this seating position, the child is not covered by either the child restraint law or the safety belt law. Appendix C contains information on State child restraint laws. Primary Enforcement Laws Help Protect Children of All AgesAlthough child restraint laws are primary laws, which allow a law enforcement officer to stop a vehicle and issue a citation for an unrestrained driver or passenger, the safety belt laws in the majority of States are secondary enforcement laws. This means that a police officer cannot stop a driver for the sole purpose of enforcing the use of occupant restraints. Rather, a police officer can write a ticket for not using occupant restraints only if he or she stops the vehicle for another driving infraction. See Exhibit 2 for a map of States with primary and secondary laws. Exhibit 2 States With Primary and Secondary Safety Belt Laws Booster Seat Use Saves Lives and Reduces the Risk of InjuryIn 2002, only 33 percent of 4- to 7-year-old passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in crashes were restrained. Persuading parents to place their children in any kind of occupant restraint would undoubtedly reduce the number of children killed or seriously injured. In addition, children who have outgrown child safety seats, but are too small to ride safely in adult belts, should be properly restrained in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old, unless they are 4 feet 9 inches tall. If placed in adult safety belts prematurely, children can suffer serious internal injuries, slip out of the safety belt, or be ejected from the vehicle during a crash. Booster seat use substantially reduces the risk of injury for children 4 to 8 years old; however, most children in this age group are currently restrained by safety belts designed for adults. In the 2002 study by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), only 16 percent of 4-year-olds, 13 percent of 5-year-olds, and 4 percent of 6- and 7-year-olds were using booster seats. The CHOP study found that the use of belt-positioning booster seats lowers the risk of injury to children in crashes by 59 percent compared with the use of vehicle safety belts. The study also found that none of the 4- to 7-year-olds who were in belt-positioning booster seats had any injuries to the abdomen, neck, spine, or back. Yet, such injuries did occur in children who used safety belts alone. Children who are 4 feet 9 inches tall before their eighth birthday may be ready for adult belts. They can start using a safety belt when they can place their back firmly against the vehicle seat back cushion with their knees bent over the vehicle seat cushion. When this booklet was published, 26 States and the District of Columbia had enacted provisions in their child restraint laws mandating booster seat or appropriate restraint use for older children passengers. They are AR, CA, CO, DE, DC, GA, IA, IL, IN, LA, ME, MD, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NV, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WA, and WY. See Exhibit 2 for a map of States that mandate booster seat or appropriate restraint use by older passengers. A number of other States are considering legislation that would require similar upgrades for booster-age child passengers. 5NHTSA Research Note: The Relationship Between Driver and Child Passenger Restraint Use Among Fatally Injured Child Passengers Ages 0-15, NCSA, March 2003. 6NHTSA Research Note: The Relationship Between Driver and Child Passenger Restraint Use Among Infants and Toddlers, NCSA, March 2003. 7Passenger cars are one of two vehicle types included in the passenger vehicle category. Passenger cars and light trucks combined make up passenger vehicles. 8Winston FK, Journal of the American Medical Association. Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS), The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, June 4, 2003. |
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The
Need To Promote Occupant Restraint Use for Children, Youth, and
16- to 20-Year-Olds
Most
of the people who die in motor vehicle crashes are vehicle occupants
(less than one-fourth of fatalities caused by crashes involve pedestrians,
bicyclists, and motorcyclists). Safety belts and child safety seats
have been designed to protect drivers and passengers from death
and injury during a crash. But these restraints cannot save lives
if they are not used. See 
