Jan 28, 2008

30 Years of Child Safety Seats

It is difficult to believe that the newborn who rode in the first child safety seat mandated by a state law is now nearly 30 years old, but this year marks the 30th anniversary of Tennessee's passage of the first child passenger safety seat law in the nation. Over the three decades, parents have become strong advocates of child safety seats, but now a new survey from the AAA and the Auto Club of Southern California reveals that parents feel that these laws should be consistent around the country.

According the AAA survey, more than half of all parents (54 percent) look to their state law for guidance on how to restrain their children. A strong majority (93 percent) of parents surveyed said they are aware of their state's child restraint laws, and most (86 percent) feel that these laws should be consistent across the country. Fewer than half (39 percent) can accurately identify the age at which their state allows a child to ride in an automobile with only a lap and shoulder belt.

"Today many more parents make it a priority to properly restrain their children when driving because of the proven life-saving benefits of car seats," said Anita Lorz of the Auto Club's community affairs program. "Yet despite this positive shift in attitudes, more than one-third of children under age five who were killed in fatal crashes in 2006 were unrestrained. In total, 145 of the 452 children under age five who died in crashes were unrestrained."

The lesson to be learned here: Make certain your children are always in the approved child safety or booster seat and properly belted in whenever you drive.