Children use seat belt height restrictions

Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report highlighting a troubling statistic: over 650 children died in car accidents across the United States in 2011, with one-third of these tragedies attributed to the absence of proper safety equipment like child safety seats. The report emphasized that using child safety seats, booster seats, or seat belts can significantly reduce the risk of injury or death for children under the age of 12. These devices are considered the most effective tools for ensuring safe travel for young passengers.

Over the past decade, from 2002 to 2011, researchers at the CDC analyzed data on accidental deaths among children aged 12 and younger. While the overall number of such deaths decreased by 43%, the rate remained alarmingly high—dropping from 2.2 million to 1.2 per 100,000. Despite this progress, nearly 9,200 children still lost their lives in car crashes during that period. This highlights that motor vehicle accidents remain one of the leading causes of death among children in the U.S.

To address this issue, the CDC strongly advises parents to use appropriate safety equipment regardless of the distance traveled. Infants under two years old should always ride in rear-facing safety seats, while children between the ages of two and five should use forward-facing seats. Once children outgrow forward-facing seats, they should transition to booster seats until they are tall enough to safely use a regular seat belt. According to the CDC, seat belts should only be used when a child is at least 57 inches (about 1.45 meters) tall, ensuring proper fit and protection.

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