Aug 1,, 2005

To The Editor:

While I was happy to read that child fatalities are down in Nevada, I wanted to clarify the child safety seat numbers in your article of Wednesday, July 27th. For the past four years, the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety has contracted with the Transportation Research Center at UNLV to conduct statewide observational surveys for both child safety seats and seat belt usage rates.

In the past four years, the child safety seat usage rate has been as high as 62% in 2003, now sitting at a low 41%. We continue to fall far below the national average of 94 percent for toddlers, while still not enough kids ages 4-8 are properly and safely restrained. Only 10-20 percent of kids age 4 to 8 who should be using booster seats with their safety belts are actually in them. This puts children at an unnecessary risk of being injured or killed in crashes because they are simply in the wrong restraint for their size. (Nevada law requires children under age six and under 60 pounds to be in a proper seat, including booster seats for children 40-60 pounds).

Many parents are under the false impression that children who have outgrown child safety seats can move right into safety belts, but this is far from the truth. Safety belts, which are designed to fit adults, won’t do their job to protect a child in a crash.
A national study showed that children ages 2 to 5 who are moved to safety belts too early have 4 times the risk of head injury in a crash.

In 2004, the Nevada Highway Patrol reported 1,238 crashes involving children age 0 – 8. 163 children were injured, one killed. Not big numbers, really; but tell that to the mother of the child that died. Or to the parent of the child with a resulting ‘incapacitating’ injury from the crash. Only 56% of these children were restrained in any way.

Fifty-six percent; same as last year’s 56 percent of the record setting number of fatalities in Nevada who were unrestrained. We have to do better. Children riding with adults who are belted in are 73% more likely to also be restrained.

Seat belt usage in Nevada is at an all time high and ranks us second in the nation for states with secondary laws. Child seat laws, however, are primary enforcement. Even though record numbers of motorists are buckling up, far too many people are dying because they were unbelted.

We know how hard programs like Safe Kids Coalitions are working state and nation wide to educate parents about the importance of child safety seats for all ages, birth through eight, but sadly we are still falling short of the mark. In a car crash your child is twice as likely to survive if they are properly restrained.

By late September we will have the latest numbers for both seat belts and child seat usage for 2005 ready to share with your readers. Our office will make sure you receive the numbers.

Traci Pearl
Highway Safety Representative
Nevada Office of Traffic Safety
Department of Public Safety
775.684.7476, tpearl@dps.state.nv.us