Correct Seat Belt Use is Essential for Child Passenger Safety, Study Says

Tue, 9/19/2017 - 4:55 pm by Kirsten Rincon

Child seat belftCar accidents are the most common cause of death among children in the United States.

Child seat belftCar accidents are the most common cause of death among children in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 650 children ages 12 years and younger died as passengers in car crashes in 2011, more than 30 percent of whom were unrestrained. Like almost all other traffic-related deaths, child occupant fatalities can be prevented. One of the key factors for ensuring child passenger safety is using seat belts, in addition to installing child restraint systems in vehicles.

However, even though restraining children with seat belts can reduce the risk for death by about 50%, many child occupant fatalities are due to improper use of seat belts. According to a study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), nine out of ten children are seriously or fatally injured in motor vehicle crashes as a result of improper use of seat belts or because of loose objects in cars. Researchers with the NIPH, in collaboration with Oslo University Hospital, have done several studies on child passenger safety as part of the project “Children in cars“, and one of those studies conducted a couple of years ago found that every third child is incorrectly restrained in cars.

Now, the NIPH’s latest study shows that one of the key factors that increases the risk of death among child passengers is incorrect restraint. Dr Marianne Skjerven-Martinsen, who did the research, investigated traffic accidents in Norway and discovered that, in addition to incorrect restraint, loose objects in cars – heavy luggage in particular – are another common cause of injury to passengers. Furthermore, researchers found that most of the accidents resulting in serious injury to children occur at high-speed roads, and on roads without crash barriers between lanes.

As far as the use of seat belts is concerned, the study found that the most common mistake involves a misplaced seat belt, with the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back. To avoid injuries to vehicle occupants, especially children, the lap belt should be positioned across the upper thighs, with the shoulder belt across the chest.

According to the study, children over the age of 4 who are incorrectly restrained are more likely to get seriously injured in a car accident than toddlers (children between the ages of 1 and 4), and the most common injuries are to the head, face, chest and abdomen.

Another mistake that parents make, and has an impact on child passenger safety, is that many of them don’t use seat belts themselves, setting a bad example for their kids. According to the CDC, seat belt use among children depends greatly on whether their parents use seat belts or not. While the goal of this study was to underline how crucial a correct seat belt use is, it’s also important to note that using a booster seat in addition to a seat belt is also a helpful tool for protecting child passengers, since it can reduce the risk for injury to children by about 60%, but many parents stop securing their kids in booster seats too early, and only restrain them with a seat belt.