Effectiveness of child safety seats vs safety belts for children aged 2 to 3 years.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of child safety seats and lap-shoulder belts in rear passenger vehicle seats for 2- to 3-year-old crash survivors. DESIGN Cohort study. SETTING The January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2004, US data on a nationally representative sample of crashes that resulted in at least 1 vehicle being towed away. PARTICIPANTS Toddlers who were sitting in rear vehicle seats and using lap-shoulder belts or child seats when involved in highway crashes. INTERVENTION Child safety seat vs safety belt. OUTCOME MEASURE Presence of any injury after a crash. RESULTS The adjusted odds of injury were 81.8% lower (95% confidence interval, 58.3%-92.1% lower) for toddlers in child seats than belted toddlers. CONCLUSIONS Child safety seats seem to be more effective rear seat restraints than lap-shoulder safety belts for children aged 2 to 3 years. Laws requiring that children younger than 4 years travel in child safety seats have a sound basis and should remain in force.

[1]  Stanley Lemeshow,et al.  Sampling of Populations: Methods and Applications , 1991 .

[2]  Kristy B Arbogast,et al.  Suboptimal restraint affects the pattern of abdominal injuries in children involved in motor vehicle crashes. , 2003, Journal of pediatric surgery.

[3]  Kristy B Arbogast,et al.  Optimal Restraint Reduces the Risk of Abdominal Injury in Children Involved in Motor Vehicle Crashes , 2004, Annals of surgery.

[4]  S C Partyka,et al.  LIVES SAVED BY CHILD RESTRAINTS FROM 1982 THROUGH 1987 , 1988 .

[5]  Michael J Kallan,et al.  Effectiveness of child safety seats vs seat belts in reducing risk for death in children in passenger vehicle crashes. , 2006, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[6]  Kristy B Arbogast,et al.  An evaluation of the effectiveness of forward facing child restraint systems. , 2004, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[7]  Ted R. Miller,et al.  THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES, 2000 , 2002 .

[8]  M. Gold.  Cost-effectiveness in health and medicine , 2016 .

[9]  S A Ferguson,et al.  Seating positions and children's risk of dying in motor vehicle crashes , 1998, Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention.

[10]  Steven D. Levitt,et al.  Evidence that Seat Belts Are as Effective as Child Safety Seats in Preventing Death for Children Aged Two and Up , 2005, The Review of Economics and Statistics.

[11]  Kristy B Arbogast,et al.  The role of restraint and seat position in pediatric facial fractures. , 2002, The Journal of trauma.

[12]  E. K. Moll,et al.  The danger of premature graduation to seat belts for young children. , 2000, Pediatrics.

[13]  Eduard Zaloshnja,et al.  Crash costs by body part injured, fracture involvement, and threat-to-life severity. United States, 2000. , 2004, Accident; analysis and prevention.