Child Passenger Safety Laws
Wednesday, April 2, 2008

In today’s 60 Second Housecall, Dr. Ken Davis discusses child passenger safety laws.

Automobile accidents are one of the major causes of injury and death in children.  In the United States, the law requires car seats for children less than 40 pounds.  For children over 40 pounds, specific laws vary by state.

In 2006, 361 children under 4 were killed in motor vehicle accidents. Thirty two percent of these children were not restrained.  Three hundred and four children ages 4 to 7 were killed with 45 percent of them unrestrained.

Child safety seats come with safety straps, called harnesses, which secure the child into position.  Your safety seat may have a 3-point or 5-point harness system.

Child safety seats in cars reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for children less than 1 year old and by 54 percent for toddlers between one and four. 

Between 1975 and 2005, almost 8,000 children’s lives were saved by the use of vehicle restraint devices.

For North Mississippi Medical Center, I’m Dr. Ken Davis.