Older Children Ride in Vehicles Unbuckled, Says AAA Texas; Parents Urged to Reinforce Safety Belt Use Among All Children

HOUSTON--Feb. 9, 2004--Approximately 56 percent of children ages 8 to 15 killed in car crashes in Texas were not wearing their safety belts, exceeding the statewide level of 46 percent for adults, according to a one-year analysis of traffic data by AAA Texas.

According to the most recent Texas data available from 2001, 57 out of 102 children who died in traffic crashes in the state were not wearing safety belts.

"It's tragic that these children were not properly restrained," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "As kids get older, they may become less likely to wear their safety belts and become more likely to die in car crashes. Older children may also be riding in cars driven by teen-age 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 safety belt users now."

AAA Texas is urging parents to reinforce proper safety belt and restraint use for children of all ages. Parents and others are urged to make Child Passenger Safety Week (Feb. 8, 2004th - 14th) the impetus for reinforcing good safety belt habits.

"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 Rougeau. "Fortunately, keeping older children safe requires little more than making sure they use a safety belt every time they ride in a car. Habits formed 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 Kid's Sake."

AAA's "Seated, Safe and Secure" campaign, designed to help promote passenger safety for children of all ages was launched on the national association's 100th anniversary in 2002. The campaign focuses on closing loopholes in child passenger safety laws and changing behavior through public education efforts.

AAA Texas, LLC, an affiliate of the AAA, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance, travel agency, insurance, financial products, automotive products, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.