Overview

Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. (CDC 2005).
 
 
Occurrence and Consequences

• In the United States during 2004, 1,638 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 214,000 were injured. That’s an average of 5 deaths and 586 injuries each day (NHTSA 2005a).
   
• Of the children ages 0 to 14 years who were killed in motor vehicle crashes during 2004, half were unrestrained (NHTSA 2005a).

 
Risk Factors

• One out of four of all occupant deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years involve a drinking driver. More than two-thirds of these fatally injured children were riding with a drinking driver (Shults 2004).
   
• Restraint use among young children often depends upon the driver’s restraint use. Almost 40% of children riding with unbelted drivers were themselves unrestrained (Cody 2002).
   
• Many children who ride in child safety seats are improperly secured. A survey of more than 17,500 children found that only 15% of children in safety seats were correctly harnessed into correctly installed seats (Taft 1999).