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TRANSPORTING OUR CHILDREN SAFELY
| Overview | Background | Training | Getting Started |
| Child Safety Facts | Virginia's Child Safety Law |
Child Safety Facts One of the greatest threats to children's health is motor vehicle injury.
NATIONAL STATISTICS
Laws
All 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam have child passenger safety laws.
Child Fatalities
2,164 children younger than 13 died in motor vehicle crashes in 1992.
Injuries Prevented and Lives Saved
- An estimated 222 children, age four and under, were saved in 1990 by child passenger safety restraints.
- An estimated 1,546 children, age four and under, were saved from 1982 through 1990 as a result of child restraint use.
- If child safety seats were used by all young children in motor vehicles, 53,000 injuries could be prevented and 500 lives saved every year.
Safety Seat Effectiveness
When used correctly, child passenger safety seats are:
- 71 percent effective in preventing fatalities.
- 67 percent effective in reducing the need for hospitalization.
- 50 percent effective in preventing minor injuries.
Common Misuse Errors
- Placing infants in safety seats facing the front of the vehicle, instead of the rear.
- Not using the seat harness to secure children, but simply placing children loose in the safety seat.
- Not using the safety belt to secure the safety seat in the vehicle.
- Not securing older children properly with a safety belt.
- Not using locking clips when needed.
- Rear facing infant seats in the front seat of vehicles having a passenger side air bags.