Protection for 5-12 Year Old Children

Children in the 5-12 year old age bracket represent today about 13 percent of the U.S. population, about 22 percentof the other-than-driver car occupants (passengers), about 9 percent of the accident involved car passengers, and about 5 percent of the seriously or fatally injured car passengers. The usage rate of occupant restraints by this age bracket is only a few percent, almost entirely safety belts of the common type, and is substantially lower than that for all age brackets. This paper addresses the question of what type of occupant restraints may be appropriate for this age bracket in view of general concerns about the fit of safety belts. The paper analyzes the accident experience of 5-12 year old children as car passengers in comparison with that of passengers in all age brackets. The accident records analyzed are those of the Fatal Accident Reporting System, and State data from the files of Washington, North Carolina, Maryland, and Michigan. Based on the analyses of the accident data guidelines are recommended for the 5-12 year old child.