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—There were 487 fatalities among child passengers aged 4 to 7 in 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
—NHTSA recommends that children between the ages of 4 and 8, or children who weigh between 35 and 80 lbs, should use a booster seat, which raises the child so the vehicle lap and shoulder belts fit properly.
—According to a 2002 study by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), children between the ages of 4 and 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a safety belt.
—According to the 2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey, only 21 percent of children ages 5 through 8 rode in booster seats, while 15 percent of parents had not heard of booster seats.
—Overall booster seat usage is estimated at only 10 to 20 percent nationwide, according to the NHTSA.
—As determined at child passenger safety seat inspection stations across the country, more than 81 percent of child restraints are used incorrectly, including 88 percent of forward-facing toddler seats, 86 percent of rear-facing infant seats and 85 percent of safety belts.
—According to the NHTSA, the three most common mistakes in child safety seat installation are: (1) not attaching the seat tightly to the vehicle, (2) not fastening the harness tightly enough, and (3) not using the chest clip or using it incorrectly.
As Varela says, “The longer you can keep them in booster seats, the better off they will be.”
To find out if you are using your car seat properly, call for an appointment for a free inspection at a DOT Child Car Seat Fitting Station:
QUEENS
107-02 Myrtle Avenue, Richmond Hill; (718) 805-4510
MANHATTAN
59 Maiden Lane. (212) 839-2203
672 West 158th Street. (212) 795-3046
BRONX
837 Brush Avenue. (718) 822-4116
BROOKLYN
Woodhull Hospital, 760 Broadway
(718) 963-6858