Apr 25, 2002 2 min read

If you are one of those parents or grandparents who refuses to move the car until everyone is buckled or who has on more than one occasion wrestled a wiggly toddler into a car seat, congratulations. Parents like you are the reason that the number of children who were killed in car crashes last year was at the lowest in the 36 years that government has been tabulating traffic deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday announced an analysis of highway fatalities. The numbers clearly indicate that parents are doing a much better job at keeping their youngsters safe, but they are continuing to neglect their own saftey.

Slightly fewer people were killed or injured in auto accidents during 2001, the NHTSA reported. The most encouraging note is that fatalities for children under five dropped 5.4 percent from 706 in 2000 to 668 in 2001. The same held true for children ages 5 to 15, with a 5.5 percent drop from 2,105 in 2000 to 1,990 in 2001.

These reductions prove that more parents and adults are aware of the importance of properly restraining their children and requiring that they ride in rear seats.

Tougher safety restraint laws in many states and intense education campaigns appear to be working nationwide. This is just a preliminary report by the NHTSA and a breakdown of states isn’t available. It would be interesting to see how Pennsylvania compares as it is considered to have one of the weakest child safety restraint laws in that it boils down to requiring children who weigh less than 40 pounds to ride in approved safety seats in the rear of vehicles. It does not require older children or, for that matter, any rear passenger to wear a safety belt.

There is a movement to pass a law that would require children 7 and younger to ride in the rear in booster seats. Reviewing statistical data from NHTSA and other states with more restrictive child passenger laws could provide insight into the debate.

However, a debate that was settled years ago, still remains unheeded by many adults. Sixty percent of those killed in crashes were not wearing safety belts. And the rate of seat belt use remains virtually unchanged. NHTSA figures that 1,130 people would likely be still alive if seat-belt use increased from 73 percent to 78 percent.

Adults need to remember that the kids count on them to keep everyone safe, big people included.