In the Boston Globe there is an article by Dr. Darshack, Sanghavi that was posted on the fifth of December two thousand and five called, car
seats, a must for children. The article states that each year, car and truck
accidents kill more kids than cancer, birth defects, or heart diseases, making car crashes the single leading cause of pediatric deaths. Studies of the federal fatality Analysis reporting system, which contains
data from tens of thousands of fatal accidents, show that restraining devices including seat
belts and car seats cut a child’s risk of dying in half. Based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other studies, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommend that all children ride in a rear facing car seats until they are a year old and weigh twenty pounds, then switch to a front facing seat until they are about thirty pounds. After that they should use a "belt positioning
booster" until a regular seat belt fits properly. Despite the evidence there has been a steady stream of criticism directed at these recommendations, and states have been slow in reacting to these new laws. In two thousand and one Highway Safeties was concerned in the new revelations of booster seats and felt that others were getting ahead of science. The argument against comprehensive car
restraint laws often misinterpret the data and obscure the real challenges in preventing collision related injuries. For example; FARS data shows that there is no survival difference between car sears and ordinary
Seat belts for kids over two. This is misleading because the FARS only includes fatal accidents. Non fatal accidents including kids in car seats are not reported.
Looking at a more comprehensive database that shows accident reports from insurance companies instead of fatal ones, found that booster seats instead of seat belts made all injuries sixty percent less likely for children between four and eight years of age. For ages one to four years old, car seats instead of seat belts made the overall harm reduction by seventy percent. According to study the reason for the lack of proper restraint is the lack of Concorde between state laws and recommendations. Installing car seats should also be made easier.
Finally insurers should treat restraining devices like lifesaving medicines. For now, parents should remember three things: your children should always be in some type of restraint no matter how short the trip, sit in the back seat, and correctly use a car seat or a booster until the child is a proper age and even then a seat belt is always better than nothing.
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