Parents with Small Children

Written by Jeff Larson

Facts/Statistics

Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71% for infants, and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends booster seats for children until they are at least 8 years of age or 4’9’’ tall.
All children ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat. Riding in the back seat is associated with a 40% reduction in the risk of serious injury for children ages 16 and younger. Putting children in the back seat eliminates the injury risk of deployed front passenger-side airbags and places children in the safest part of the vehicle in the event of a crash.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children from 3 to 14 years old.

Child Restraint Systems

This is a critical issue for parents with young children. Children should be placed in the back seat of the car in a car seat. This sounds like a simple solution, but children of different ages and sizes require different restraints. It raises questions about what type of car seat might be best. How do you know that your child is properly secured in the seat should an emergency occur?

The following websites provide pertinent information on child restraint systems, including child restraint laws: