BOISE – According to new research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, child crash fatalities have declined over the past five years. But many children are still being moved out of car seats and booster seats too soon.
AAA found that nearly 100,000 kids were injured in car crashes in 2023 alone, with a disturbing decline in car seat and booster seat use after children turned three years old. With the start of Baby Safety Month (and as Child Passenger Safety Week approaches later this month), now is a great time to make needed adjustments.
“It’s important to have the right tool for the job. Using a wrench as a hammer is unsafe and very inefficient,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “The same principle applies to child safety seats. The wrong seat or restraint at the wrong time can be very risky.”
When used correctly, car seats, booster seats, and seat belts protect young passengers. The U.S. Department of Transportation notes that child restraints reduce fatalities by 71% for infants younger than a year old, and by 54% for children 1 to 4 years old.
“Please see child restraints as an important investment, and not an inconvenience,” Conde said.
AAA’s research finds that nearly 4 million children aged 11 and under were involved in car crashes from 2019 to 2023, with 2,800 deaths and 516,000 injuries. Shockingly, 67% of all car seats checked in 2024 were improperly installed, according to the National Digital Car Seat Check Form database.
AAA urges parents to strictly follow manufacturer recommendations, graduating children to a new restraint system only as they reach the maximum height for the current system.
Additional AAA findings
- Nearly 4 in 10 children aged 7-11 who were killed in a crash were completely unrestrained.
- About 3 in 10 kids aged 4-6 who were killed in a crash were completely unrestrained, and 1 in 4 kids aged 0-3.
- Nearly 23% of children moved to booster seats too soon, and more than 89% transitioned to a regular seat belt too soon.
“We recommend double-checking the laws in your state, and please remember that height is the best determining factor, not age, in selecting the appropriate safety restraints,” Conde said.
AAA’s crash data analysis found that safety seat and booster seat use dropped by nearly 10% between 3- and 4-years-old. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, most children will not fit in a seat belt alone until 10 to 12 years of age.
In Idaho, the most common car seat issues were:
- Not using the tether whenever possible on forward-facing seats.
- Not locking the seat belt retractor when no other form of lockability is in use.
- Not installing the car seat tightly enough using the car’s LATCH (lower anchor attachment) system.
Additional resources
- Find child passenger safety resources by state, including how to get a car seat checked, occupant protection laws, and answers to car seat, booster seat, and seat belt questions. Click here to learn more.
- Check online virtually. Without local resources, a child’s car seat and readiness for a seat belt can be checked virtually through an online meeting with National Safety Council staff. Click here to learn more.
“To be clear, wearing a seat belt isn’t just for kids,” Conde said. “If you’re in a crash and the laws of physics take over, your seat belt may be the only thing that keeps you in your vehicle and with a better chance of survival. Whether you’re 1 or 100, safety restraints are a good thing.”