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Keep Them in the Back!
Brian L. Armstead, 06.04.04
Results of a recent national public opinion survey
show that parents report placing an estimated 3.3 million children
ages 0-12 – six percent of all children in this age group
– in the front seat of cars, trucks and SUVs, putting them
at greater risk of serious injury or death in an accident.
Public Opinion Strategies, Inc. conducted the survey for the
National Safety Council’s Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign.
The National Safety Council is a public/private partnership of
automotive manufacturers, insurance companies, child safety seat
manufacturers, government agencies, health professionals and child
health and safety organizations. The goal of the Air Bag and Seat
Belt Safety Campaign is to increase the proper use of safety belts
and child safety seats and to inform the public about how to maximize
the lifesaving capabilities of air bags while minimizing the risks.
The Campaign, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) strongly recommend
that children 12 and under ride properly restrained in rear seats.
That includes infants in rear-facing seats, children in convertible
seats, children in booster seats, and children restrained by seat
belts. Research has found that rear seats are up to 35 percent
safer than front for children.
A recent study by the Campaign found that the lives of more than
1,700 children have been saved between 1996 and 2001 solely because
they were sitting in a rear seat. Even with this progress, statistics
show that 324 children died in the front seat in 2002 alone.
The survey findings are based on self-reported behavior—what
parents themselves say they are doing. Observational data released
by NHTSA in February 2003 indicate the situation is even worse.
According to NHTSA, parents are putting 15 percent of infants,
10 percent of toddlers ages 1-3, and 29 percent of children ages
4-7 in the front seat.
Analysis of fatality data also found that over a ten-year period,
front seat fatalities for children ages 12 and under have declined
by 36 percent. But the analysis also showed that an alarming number
of children are still being placed in the front seat since 32
percent of all child fatalities were among children riding in
front.
“These findings are an alarm bell that parents still haven’t
heard the critical safety message, “old air bag, new air
bag, no air bag, kids are safer in a rear seat properly restrained.”
said Chuck Hurley, Executive Director of the Air Bag & Seat
Belt Safety Campaign of the National Safety Council. “It
is particularly important that this message get out to lower-income
families of all races whose self-reported behavior places their
babies at much greater risk.”
The survey showed that on average six percent of all children
ages 0-12 are being placed in the front seat according to their
parents. Seven percent of all infants 0-1 are being placed in
the front seat, while for Hispanic and African American infants
the number is almost double at 13 percent. The survey also found
that parents with lower income and education levels were more
likely to place their children in the front seat.
The movement of children to the rear seat has been credited with
helping to dramatically reduce the number of child air bag deaths
and child deaths overall. Since 1996, the rate of child air bag
deaths has declined a remarkable 94 percent despite more than
five times the number of passenger air bag equipped vehicles on
the road. Even more children have benefited from the additional
margin of safety in the rear seat in the majority of crashes.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of
American children ages 4-15 years,” said NHTSA Administrator
Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D. “Children ages 12 and under are 26
to 35 percent less likely to be fatally injured in a crash if
they are in the back seat.”
Hurley says the situation is even worse for booster-seat age
children (ages 4-8) because they are not only at risk from being
placed in the front seat, but many are at risk because they’re
not using booster seats at all. According to NHTSA, 80 to 90 percent
children who should be restrained in booster seats are not. Booster
seats reduce injury risk by 59 percent – seat belts alone
are inappropriate for children under 4'9" because the belts
are designed for adults and do not fit children properly. Following
are tips on properly securing your children:
- Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in
a rear seat.
- • Infants should ride in rear facing safety seats as long
as possible; until they are at least 12 months old and weigh at
least 20 pounds.
- Children who are at least one year old, weigh 20-40 pounds,
and can no longer ride rear-facing should ride in forward facing
child safety seats.
- Children over 40 pounds should be correctly secured in
belt positioning boosters or other appropriate child restraints
until the vehicle seat cushion length and adult lap and shoulder
belts fit correctly (when they are about 4' 9" tall.)
- Once the vehicle seat cushion length and safety belts
fit children, both lap and shoulder belts should be correctly
used.
- Any safety seat must be installed and used according to
the manufacturer's instructions and your vehicle owner's manual.
Once you securely buckle your kids in the back seat, make sure
you tell others about the perils of kids in the front. Spread
the word at your kid’s school, at your Church, Mosque or
Synagogue, and at any activities (football, soccer, etc.) that
your children participate in. For more information on how to properly
secure your children, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration’s Web site at www.nhtsa.gov.
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