CHILDREN AGES 4-8 MORE LIKELY TO BE INJURED IN VEHCILE CRASHES

State Farm®, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia®

Release 2006 Child Passenger SafeTY Report

 Bloomington, Ill., and Philadelphia, October 24, 2006 – Today, State Farm® and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia® released the second Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS) Fact and Trend Report – from the world's largest study of children in automobile crashes.  The report reveals a fact every parent should know:  as children age their risk of injury or death in a motor vehicle crash significantly increases due to improper child restraint use.  Key factors for this increased risk are moving children from child restraints to adult seat belts and then to the front seat prematurely.     

In fact, the report found that 46 percent of children ages 4-8 were improperly restrained in adult seat belts, making them three times more likely to be injured in a crash than younger infants and toddlers.  

"There is a crucial step many parents are missing: Kids need to use a booster seat from around age 4 until they're 4'9", said Kristi Arbogast, PhD., director of field engineering, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  "As children get older, their risk of being injured in a crash increases, primarily because they're being moved from the protection of child seats with harnesses, into adult seat belts, and into the front seat.  All children need to be seated in the back seat until age 13." 

For children under the age of 8 years, following the guidelines for age and size-appropriate restraint can reduce the risk of serious injury in a vehicle crash to less than 1 percent.  State Farm and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia urge parents to be diligent when it comes to their children's safety – every ride, every time.

"PCPS Fact and Trend Report serves as a reminder that we need to continue taking steps to ensure all children are protected on the road," said Susan Hood, Claims vice President for State Farm.  "Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of children over the age of one, and many of these tragedies could have been prevented with the proper use of vehicle safety restraints."

Key Updates and Findings

The State Farm and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia PCPS Fact and Trend Report provides the most up-to-date data on children in vehicle crashes in the United States and identifies characteristics of crashes involving children.  Top findings of the report include:

  •  Child restraint use - 1999 vs. 2005:  Overall, American's have significantly improved child restraint use among children over age eight from 51 percent in 1999 to 73 percent in 2005.
  • Booster seat law success:  The study found that states with comprehensive booster seat laws reported the most progress in increasing child restraint use through 8 years of age.  States with the highest rate of booster seat use among 4-8 year olds have implemented child passenger safety laws that require all children under the age of seven to ride in a child safety seat or booster seat.
  • Age of driver:  Although only 7.4 percent of crashes involving children occur with teen drivers (ages 16-19), these children were 3.5 times more likely to be injured than those driven by people older than 20. 
  • Speed limits:  Vehicle crashes with the highest number of significant injuries occur on roads with posted speed limits of 45-64 mph.
  • Distance:  The majority of crashes involving children occur within 10 minutes of home.

For more information on the risks to child passengers and how to properly restrain children in motor vehicles, please visit www.chop.edu/carseat and click on "In the News" for information relevant to the report; or visit www.statefarm.com/KidSafety.htm.

About the Partners for Child Passenger Safety Fact and Trend Report

The Fact and Trend Report was developed through a research collaboration between The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm.  All data is provided by State Farm customers during confidential in-depth interviews from January 1999-December 2005.  As of December 31, 2005, more than 455,000 State Farm customers, transporting 669,000 children, participated in the study.  It is the largest source of data on children in motor vehicle crashes. In-depth analyses of these data has resulted in more than 50 scientific papers since 2000, informing public policy and automotive restraint design to improve safety of child passengers.

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