Car seats help protect children from serious injuries in car accidents. Attorney Steve Lee discusses the increase in use of car seats and the affect on car crash injuries. Call 800-232-3711 or 713-921-4171 if you or your child has been injured in a Texas car accident.

Use of Car Seats has Gone Up

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More parents are securing their children in car seats than in the past, which has helped to reduce injuries in car accidents, according to the decade long Partners for Child Passenger Safety study of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm.

The study examined insurance claims from 1998 to 2007 and phone survey data on more than 875,000 children in accidents. Researchers found that the overall use of car seats among children 8 and younger increased to 80 percent in 2007 from 51 percent 8 years earlier.

Since 1999, almost 100 percent of children 3 years and younger involved in car accidents have been in car seats. However, the use of safety seats among older children is much lower. In 1999, only 15 percent of children ages 4 to 8 were in an appropriate restraint, such as a harness restraint or booster, according to the study. The percentage has gone up and in 2007, 63 percent of children ages 4 to 8 were using appropriate child restraints.

Researchers found that many 4-8 year-olds were only using adult seat belts when riding in the car. Seat belts are designed to fit individuals who are about 4 feet, 9 inches tall and a lot of children do not reach this height until 9 years or older.

“Along with the increase in the number of kids riding in child safety seats, we can also see changes in the types of restraints they are using now versus 10 years ago,” said Kristy Arbogast, director of engineering at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention. Arbogast says that it is common to see 4 and 5 year-olds using boosters instead of harness restraints. In 2007, 31 percent of 4 to 5 year-olds rode in harness restraints.

Boosters can help lower the risk of a child sustaining injuries in a car crash. Previous research has shown that boosters lower crash injury risk by 59 percent for 4 to 7 year-olds when compared to seat belts alone. The reason for the lowered risk of injury can be attributed to the booster elevating the child so lap and shoulder belts are properly positioned. According to the study though, booster seat use was lowest in Texas, which probably has to do with the fact that Texas does not have booster seat laws.

The study also found that 60 percent of accidents involving children occur within 10 minutes of home and 84 percent happen within 20 minutes of home.

If you or your child has been injured in a Texas car crash, contact Steve Lee, an experienced car accident attorney, at 800-232-3711 or 713-921-4171. You may be entitled to compensation for injuries sustained in the car accident.


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Steven M. Lee, PC
5823 Gulf Freeway
Suite 300
Houston, TX 77023
Phone: 713-921-4171
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