Motor vehicle crashes represent one of the leading causes of injury/death in the United States today. Infants should NEVER ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag. Children ages 12 and under should always be properly restrained in a child safety seat or safety belt and ride in the back seat. Even if there isn’t a passenger air bag in the motor vehicle, the safest place for infants and children is properly secured and buckled up in the back seat. Safety belts, both lap and shoulder, must be used with air bags. In 2022, 25,420 passenger vehicle occupants were killed. About 50% of those killed were not buckled (based on known seat belt use.) 2,514 people killed in crashes involving a teen driver (15-18 years old) in 2022.
Statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found the use of seat belts in 2023 was 91.9%.
- Every day in 2022, on average, three children under 13 were killed and 429 were injured in cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans.
- A total of 756 children were killed in passenger vehicles in 2022, and over 120,000 were injured.
- In 2022, more than a third (39%) of children who died while riding in passenger vehicles were unrestrained.
- Over the 5-year period from 2018-2022, there were 1,837 “tweens” (8 to 14 years old) killed in passenger vehicles.
- In 2022 alone, the 8- to 12-year-old age group had the highest number of fatalities (326) among children in traffic crashes. This age group is often found to be using the wrong type of restraint for their age and size. Moving a child passenger into a booster seat or adult seat belt before they are the right age and size can increase the risk of injury and death.
- Children from some minority groups are at greater risk of being unrestrained when killed in traffic crashes: According to 2021 data from NHTSA, 45% of Black children killed in car crashes were unrestrained, followed by Hispanic children (42%). By comparison, white children killed were unrestrained 30% of the time.
- In 2022, almost half (49%) of the children killed while riding in light pickup trucks were unrestrained, followed by SUVs (38%), passenger cars (34%), and vans (12%). Children are safest when secured in the proper car seats or booster seats for their ages and sizes, regardless of the vehicle type.
- Parents and caregivers can model safety for their kids. Research shows there is a strong correlation between caregivers who buckle up and their child passengers’ seat belt use. In 2022, of the child passengers killed in crashes while riding with an unbuckled driver, 68% of those children were also unbuckled.
Important Safety Reminders As children grow, so do their restraint types (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster seat, or seat belt). Always use the one that fits your child’s current age and size.
Use the NHTSA Car Seat Finder located at Link to Locator.
• Every car and every car seat or booster seat has different installation instructions, so make sure you read both the car seat instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual.
• Remember that children in rear-facing seats should never be placed in front of an active passenger air bag. • Use either the lower anchors and tether, or the seat belt and tether when installing forward-facing seats.
• To get assistance with installation, find a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) at a location near you using : NHTSA's Inspection Station Locator
• Remember to register your car seat or booster seat so you can be notified in the event of a safety recall.
• Plan for using car seats or booster seats when traveling and riding in taxis or ride-share vehicle.
• To find out when your child is ready to use an adult seat belt, reference the Car Seat Recommendations for Children. Be sure to read information for Booster Seat and Seat Belt Use.
• Keep children in the back seat until at least age 13. It’s the safest place to ride. — NHTSA’s Research and Program Development
IDEAS TO PROMOTE THE BUCKLE-UP MESSAGE
- Pass out pamphlets and/or fliers.
- Put up posters in community.
- Install signs and/or banners in parking lots and over streets.
- Show audiovisuals (at community displays, classes, or in the entry of the school, at Parent/Teacher conferences).
- Publish passenger safety news in newsletter.
- Talk about passenger safety personally – in routine service situation i.e., health care checkups, school curriculum, as guest speaker or community exhibits.
- Hold a car seat “clinic” – check for mistakes in car seat installation. Provide opportunities to try different brands of car seats in car. (Requires well-trained volunteers, good publicity, and adequate parking area.) Contact Utah SAFEKIDS, Utah Highway Safety Office, or Primary Children’s Medical Center for trained volunteers.
- Find out about car seat distribution programs that offer car seats at low cost to put passenger safety education into practice. Requires well-trained staff, some storage space, good publicity, and telephone numbers. Do not purchase used car seats.
- Arrange for spotters to give coupons to correctly buckled-up drivers and passengers. Solicit donated prizes.
- Teen programs include classroom education and service to community by teaching younger children to always wear a seat belt (service learning).
- Put up displays of car seats, audiovisuals, and pamphlets at your school and/or at community fairs.
For more information, visit Utah Highway Safety