YOUNGSTOWN Experts discuss importance of child restraints in vehicles

Almost half of kids ages 4 to 7 killed in crashes aren't restrained, statistics show.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR HEALTH WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 2 to 14.
People are doing a pretty good job protecting infants and toddlers with appropriate restraints, said Lark Dickstein, coordinator for Region 4 Occupant Protection Program.
From birth to age 1, restraint use is 97 percent, and for ages 1 to 4 it's 91 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
However, from age 5 to 15, restraint use falls to 68.7 percent, and about 47 percent of fatally injured children ages 4 to 7 are completely unrestrained, the NHTSA says.
The NHTSA recommends that all children age 12 and younger ride in the back seat, and that children ages 4 to 8 years old be restrained in booster seats until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall or about 80 pounds.
Here's the problem
Seat belts in vehicles are designed for adults, and on small children, the lap belt often rests on the abdomen and the shoulder harness comes across the child's neck or face or wraps behind the back or under the arm, Dr. Michael Gittleman said. In a crash, the belt can cut through the abdomen, causing serious injuries to internal organs and the spine, he said.
A booster seat elevates small children making the seat belt fit properly, with the lap belt across the pelvis and the shoulder harness across the chest, Dr. Gittleman said.
A NHTSA study showed that just 6.1 percent of booster-aged children were restrained in a booster seat.
Dr. Gittleman, who is an emergency physician, and Susan Laurence, injury prevention coordinator from Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, spoke to pediatricians and child-passenger technicians, law enforcement officers and others about "Child Passenger Safety: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" on Monday morning at Northside Medical Center.
Doing a safety check
Monday afternoon, a child-safety-seat check, sponsored by the Mahoning Valley SAFE KIDS Coalition, was conducted in the Forum Health parking deck.
The activities were aimed at raising awareness during National Child Passenger Safety Week Feb. 8-14.
In 2002, according to Dickstein, 329 children ages 4 through 7 and 1,209 children ages 8 through 15 were killed in crashes while traveling in a vehicle.
Laurence said, despite progress, 15 percent of infants are still placed in the front seat with airbags and two-thirds of infants face forward too soon, both unsafe practices.
One-third of children ages 4 to 8, whom she called the "least protected passengers," ride in the front. In addition, Ohio law does not protect that age group, saying the children 4 years and older are not required to be restrained while riding in the back seat.
Families, doctors, law enforcement officers and legislators need to be made more aware of the dangers to that age group, Laurence said.
"Increasing the use of booster seats, and placing children in rear seats, must be our top priorities," said Dr. Gittleman.
alcorn@vindy.com