In 1984, the number of passenger fatalities for children under 5 years old in passenger vehicles reached a low of 554, as all but four states had implemented mandatory child restraint laws. In 1985, the remaining four states implemented mandatory child safety seat usage laws. Since 1984, there has been a steady increase in the number of child passenger fatalities such that, by 1988, there were 25 percent more child passenger fatalities under the age of 5 years. The purpose of the study was to investigate this increase in child passenger fatalities, identifying potential contributory factors in order to understand why it has occurred. Collectively, the analyses indicate that most of the increase in child passenger fatalities experienced since 1984 is a result of increases in the likelihood of their being involved in a crash. Total vehicle miles traveled increased by almost 18 percent between 1984 and 1988, while the number of children under age 5 that were involved in fatal crashed increased by 28 percent during this period. This suggests that children are experiencing increased exposure to crashes in which a fatality is likely to occur greater than expected by the overall increase in mileage traveled. These data suggest that the increase in child passenger fatalities is not a consequence of decreased child restraint usage, increased improper usage, or child restraint deficiencies. In light of the 46 percent child restraint usage rate in fatal crashes, it is clear that a large benefit can still be realized by increasing the use of child restraints, both safety seats and adult belts, as appropriate, for passengers of all ages.


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    Titel :

    Investigation of the Increase in Child Passenger Fatalities since 1984


    Beteiligte:
    T. M. Klein (Autor:in) / J. Van Dyke (Autor:in) / J. Surti (Autor:in) / M. Walz (Autor:in)

    Erscheinungsdatum :

    1990


    Format / Umfang :

    15 pages


    Medientyp :

    Report


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch