According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1,300 children under 15 years old were killed and almost 184,000 were injured in motor vehicle accidents in 2005. Properly using child safety restraints, including car and booster seats, can help protect children from injuries and death in traffic accidents.
A study by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that booster seats reduce injury risk by 59 percent compared to only using seat belts for children ages four to seven years.
New York's Booster Seat Law
In 2005, the New York legislature passed a law requiring that children four to six years old be secured in a booster seat when riding in a vehicle. The law was amended in 2009, increasing the age range to cover seven year old children as well.
Every state has some law addressing ages at which children must be secured in a car or booster seat, though the ages vary from state to state. Currently, at least 25 states have laws requiring children seven years old and younger to ride in a safety or booster seat according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and a recent study seems to suggest that this law has reduced reports of injuries to children.
Reduction in Injuries After Passage
Recently, a study in the journal Pediatrics compared rates of injuries to children ages four to six before and after the upgraded child restraint law went into effect in New York. This was the first study comparing injury rates and the effectiveness of the law for one state.
According to the study, the law resulted in more children being strapped into booster seats and restraints. Prior to the law, 29 percent of children involved in traffic accidents were secured in safety seats, increasing to 50 percent after the law took effect. Overall, this resulted in an 18 percent reduction in traffic-related injuries to children in that age group.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children use booster seats until they are at least eight years of age or until they are 4'9" tall. Currently, only two states, Tennessee and Wyoming, have booster seat laws covering children eight years old and younger.
