A study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) noted that more than a third of children under age 13 who died in passenger vehicle crashes in 2011 were not in car seats or wearing seat belts.

A third of children killed were not in car seats or wearing seat belts

This study found that 338 were injured every day while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups and vans. Of the children killed the percentage of unrestrained fatalities, with no car seat or seat belt, varied by vehicle type, with greater percentages of unrestrained fatalities occurring in larger vehicles: SUVs (55%), pick-ups (43%), vans (40%), and cars (24%).

“Regardless of the size of the vehicle, the age of the child, or the length of the trip, children should always be properly restrained,” says David Strickland, NHTSA’s administrator.

“Car seats, when correctly installed and used, provide proven life-saving and injury-reducing benefits for child passengers. In fact, properly used car seats decrease the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers.”

“Children are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a booster seat than if they were using seat belts only,” he added.

NHTSA safety precautions

It’s sad to hear about children being killed in accidents, more so when their deaths could have been prevented. To coincide with in Child Passenger Safety Week and to highlight the important safety benefits associated with the proper use of child restraints like car seats, booster seats and seat belts, the NHTSA offers parents and caregivers the following safety tips:

Determine if your child is in the right seat for his or her age and sizeRead the instructions and labels that come with your child’s car seat and read the vehicle owner’s manual for important information on installing the seat in your particular vehicleGo to your local car seat inspection station to have your seat checked by a Certified Child Passenger Safety TechnicianUse the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) restraint system or seat belt to install your car seat and use the top tether to secure forward-facing car seatsRegister your car seat and booster seat so you will be informed if there is a safety recall on your model; andAlways wear your seat belt to set a good example. Unbuckled drivers are more likely to have unrestrained children in the car

From 1975 through 2011, NHTSA estimates that approximately 10,000 lives were saved by child restraints for children under the age of 5 in passenger vehicles, with more than 260 lives saved in 2011 alone.