Data Show Older Children Dying More Frequently, Not Buckling Up in Car Crashes, Says AAA Chicago

AURORA, Ill., Feb. 9 -- Children ages 8 to 15 ride unbuckled and die in car crashes at rates approaching those of adults, according to recent federal data. AAA Chicago urges parents to use Child Passenger Safety Week (Feb. 8, 2004-14) to reinforce the importance of proper seat belt and restraint use with children of all ages.

"As kids get older, they become less likely to wear their seat belts and become more likely to die in car crashes," said Steve Nolan, AAA Chicago spokesman. "These 8-15 year-olds will soon be riding in cars driven by teenage siblings and friends, making it all the more important that they be buckled up. Parents and others need to make these older children into full- time seat belt users now."

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that as children get older, their fatality rates go up and their seat belt usage goes down. In 2002 (the most recent year available), 1,209 children ages 8-15 were killed while riding in cars-up 8 percent from 2001. Other age groups of children (0-3 and 4-7) saw fatalities decrease by 6 percent and 15 percent, respectively, during the same period. More than half (56 percent) of the older children killed in car crashes were not wearing their seat belts, a rate that approaches the 58 percent non-use rate for adults in fatal crashes.

"AAA and the safety community have made great strides in improving safety seat use for young children, but there's still more that we can do to keep our kids safe," said Nolan. "Fortunately, keeping older children safe requires little more than making sure they use a seat belt every time they ride in a car. The habits they form now will last a lifetime."

AAA reminds parents to read and follow the manufacturer's instructions for child restraints to ensure proper age, weight and fit requirements, and that all children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat. Additional child passenger safety information can be found online at www.aaapublicaffairs.com by clicking on "For Kids' Sake."

AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 46 million members in the United States and Canada.