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24 states get "F" in child passenger safety

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In this story:

How the grading was done

Top cause of unintentional death for children

What the campaign would like to see

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Twenty-four states in the United States got a failing grade from a national child safety group Thursday for not having laws on the books to protect child passengers in motor vehicles.

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Just ahead of National Child Passenger Safety Week, the National Safe Kids Campaign released the most comprehensive review yet of child restraint laws in the United States.

Only the state of California received an "A" for passing a new child occupant law in 2000. The state was the only one that specified the need for age- and size-appropriate restraints for children ages 4 and 5.

New Jersey received the lowest score, making only 3 points out of a total 24 in the category of "appropriate child restraint requirements by age." The report says New Jersey law allows children to ride completely unbuckled in the back seat while traveling in a car. Children under 17 months are the only ones specifically required to be restrained in a child safety seat.

Five states received a "C," while 18 states and the District of Columbia received a "D." Only one state, Florida, received a "B."

According to Safe Kids, the majority of the child passenger safety laws were created in the early 1980s and states haven't kept up with passing new laws based on current statistics.

"Safe Kids' intention is not to place blame," the authors of the report said. "We would like to see states revisit their child occupant protection laws and make substantive improvements to protect our children."

How the grading was done

The campaign measured the states in seven categories:

  • Restraint use required through age 15.
  • Appropriate child restraint requirement by age.
  • Proper child safety seat adjustment.
  • Public education.
  • Penalty provisions.
  • Driver/circumstance exemptions.
  • Other provisions.

The grades were not based on a state's implementation or enforcement of state law but on the language of the law.

After analyzing all state laws, the campaign found no state requires children ages 6-8 to ride in booster seats and that 34 states have exemptions for allowing children to ride unrestrained. Those exemptions include nursing mothers, out-of-state plates, non-state resident drivers and overcrowded cars.

Chuck Hurley of the National Safety Council and Seat Belt Safety Campaign said that while looking at state law is important, it is only one factor in the overall picture.

"Low belt use is not because of the wording of the laws but has to do with the probability of the driver being stopped for noncompliance," he said.

The Seat Belt Safety Campaign plans to release a state-by-state report of enforcement in May.

Top cause of unintentional death for children

After releasing the report, Safe Kids announced the launching of "Closing the Gaps Across the Map," a national campaign designed to strengthen child restraint laws by 2006. The campaign will help educate parents and assist states in developing stronger enforcement programs.

Although the death rate for people who have died in car accidents has declined by 10 percent from 1987 to 1998, car crashes remain the No. 1 cause of unintentional death for children 14 and under. In 1998 nearly 1,800 children under the age of 14 died in motor vehicle crashes. In 1999, 272,000 children were injured in motor vehicle crashes.

According to Safe Kids, about 29 percent of children under 4 ride unrestrained and 61 percent of children under 14 killed in car accidents were not safely restrained. While 96 percent of parents think they have installed their child seat correctly, it is estimated that 85 percent of children are improperly restrained.

Safe Kids says improper restraint for children isn't completely the parents' fault. They say parents don't always know what type of restraint is best for a child and what the correct restraint mechanism should be.

"They [parents] look to their state laws to give them guidance," the report said. "In most states, the law does not do an adequate job of educating parents on this important issue."

"A strong law that requires children to ride correctly secured in age- and size-appropriate restraints can encourage parents to make the right choices in protecting their children."

What the campaign would like to see

The National Safe Kids Campaign is working to develop one child occupant protection law that would include the following provisions:

  • Requiring that children age 15 and under ride with some kind of restraint.
  • Children under 8 should ride in age-specific booster or child seats.
  • All children should ride in the back seat.
  • Providing a public fund for education and a loaner or giveaway program for child seats.
  • Mandatory penalties for improper restraint such as points, suspension of a license and a fine of at least $76.
  • No waivers or exemptions of those penalties.
  • Requiring car rental agencies to provide child safety seats and literature on the states' child passenger laws.


RELATED SITES:
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Safety Council
DaimlerChrysler's Fit for a Kid

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