Thirty years after the enactment of the nation's first child safety seat law, a new survey shows parents strongly support child safety seats and child seat laws. Yet, nearly 100 children younger than 5 die every year in crashes they could have survived had they been using child safety seats, according to AAA.

A survey released by AAA to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Tennessee's first-in-the-nation child safety seat law says more than half of all parents (54 percent) look to their state laws for guidance on how to restrain their children. While a strong majority of parents (93 percent) surveyed said they are aware of their state's child restraint laws and most (86 percent) feel that these laws should be consistent across the country, less than half (39 percent) can accurately identify the age at which their state allows a child to ride in an automobile with only a lap and shoulder belt.

"These results send a clear and powerful message to state legislators across the country," said Jack Peet, manager of Community Safety Services for AAA Michigan. "Parents look to the law for guidance about when and how their children should be restrained but, in many cases, the laws are letting them down."

According to Peet, state laws vary greatly throughout the United States, and although every state has a provision for children younger than 4, just 18 states and the District of Columbia require children up to age 8 or older to be restrained in a booster seat.

Proper booster seat use is important because it is not safe for children to transition directly from the child safety seat to adult lap and shoulder belts, which are designed for adults.

"Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children, and booster seats save lives when properly used in conjunction with lap and shoulder belts," said Peet. "Unfortunately, booster seat usage averages only 37 percent nationwide. Many children are put at risk when they are improperly restrained by a seat belt intended for an adult or older child and the booster seat phase is skipped."

AAA clubs continue to work to enact comprehensive child passenger safety laws protecting children up to age 8 in every state. For more information on state child passenger restraint laws, visit http://www.aaa.com/publicaffairs.

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Source: AAA Michigan

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