*Marc Starnes is a Mathematical Statistician in the Mathematical Analysis Division, National Center for Statistics 

and Analysis, NHTSA.

National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590

U.S. Department

Of Transportation

National Highway

Traffic Safety

Administration

DOT HS 809 558 Research Note March 2003

The Relationship Between Driver and Child Passenger Restraint Use 

Among Fatally Injured Child Passengers Age 0 - 15

Marc Starnes*

Summary

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and

Analysis (NCSA) recently completed an

examination of data from the Fatality Analysis 

Reporting System (FARS) to investigate the

association between the restraint use of child 

passengers fatally injured in a crash and their 

drivers. Results show that children are more 

likely to be restrained when their driver is

restrained, and children are more likely to be 

unrestrained as they become older.

Methodology

This research note examines restraint use

patterns among vehicle occupants involved in

crashes where a child was fatally injured. Data 

from FARS for the period 1991 – 2001 were 

used. This time period included five years

before and after 1996, the year in which NHTSA 

instituted the Buckle Up America campaign. 

Each vehicle involved a) one or more fatally 

injured child passengers age 15 or younger, and 

b) one driver either killed or survived, age 16 or 

older.

Drivers were paired repeatedly with each fatally 

injured passenger of age 15 or younger in their 

vehicle. For example, a driver with two fatally 

injured children in the vehicle is included in two

separate driver-passenger pairs, once for each

child. A child passenger is categorized as being 

restrained if a child restraint or lap and/or

shoulder belt was in use at the time of the crash. 

All remaining child passengers were categorized 

as either unrestrained or of unknown restraint 

use. A driver is categorized as being restrained if 

a lap and/or shoulder belt was in use at the time 

of the crash. Drivers of unknown restraint use 

were not included in this study. 

Passenger vehicles selected for this study

include passenger cars, light trucks, vans and

sport utility vehicles. From 1991 through 2001, 

the distribution of the age of these vehicles

involved in fatal crashes did not vary

significantly. 

Results

Crashes were examined involving fatally injured 

passengers 0 to 3 years old, 4 to 7 years old, and 

8 to 15 years old. When traveling in a passenger 

vehicle where the driver was unrestrained, 68 

percent of fatally injured children age 0 to 3 

years old were also unrestrained, while only 29 

percent were restrained (the restraint use of 3 

percent was unknown). When the driver was 

restrained, 68 percent of fatally injured children 

age 0 to 3 years old were also restrained, 28 

percent were unrestrained, and restraint use was 

unknown for 4 percent. These data, displayed in 

the two charts in Figure 1 below, illustrate a

strong positive correlation between the restraint 

use of young children and the driver of their 

vehicle.

Figure 2, shown below, refers to crashes

involving fatally injured children age 4 to 7 

years old. When the driver of the vehicle was 

traveling unrestrained, 84 percent of fatally

injured children 4 to 7 years old were also

traveling unrestrained, 14 percent of these
National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590

children were restrained, and 2 percent were of 

unknown restraint use. The chart on the right in 

Figure 2 categorizes the restraint use of fatally 

injured children traveling in a vehicle where the 

driver was restrained. Thirty-six percent of

these 4 to 7 year old children were unrestrained, 

58 percent were restrained, and restraint use was 

unknown for 6 percent. When traveling with 

unrestrained drivers, the 14 percent of children 4 

to 7 years old who were restrained is less than 

half of the corresponding percentage among

children 0 to 3 years old (29 percent).

Crashes involving fatally injured children age 8 

to 15 years old are described below in Figure 3. 

A comparison of Figure 3 with Figures 1 and 2 

shows that the percentage of restraint use

continues to decline as the age of the child

increases. When traveling in a passenger 

vehicle where the driver was unrestrained, 91 

percent of fatally injured children age 8 to 15 

years old were also unrestrained, while only 7 

percent were restrained, with 2 percent having 

unknown restraint use. When the driver was

restrained, 48 percent of fatally injured children 

age 8 to 15 years old were also restrained, 46 

percent were unrestrained, and restraint use was 

unknown for 6 percent. In crashes where the 

driver was unrestrained, the percentage of fatally 

injured children age 8 to 15 years old who were 

restrained (7 percent) represents less than one 

quarter of the percentage of children age 0 to 3 

years old who were restrained (29 percent).

 

Restraint Use of Fatally Injured Passengers, Age 0-3

By Driver Restraint Use

1991-2001

Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis, NHTSA, FARS 1991-2001

Unrestrained Drivers

Unknown

3%

Unrestrained

68%

Restrained

29%

Restrained Drivers

Unknown

4%

Unrestrained

28%

Restrained

68%

Figure 1

Restrained Drivers

Unknown

4%

Unrestrained

28%

Restrained

68%
National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590

Restraint Use of Fatally Injured Passengers, Age 4-7

By Driver Restraint Use

1991-2001

Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis, NHTSA, FARS 1991-2001

Restraint Use of Fatally Injured Passengers, Age 8-15

By Driver Restraint Use

1991-2001

Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis, NHTSA, FARS 1991-2001

Unrestrained Drivers

Unknown

2%

Unrestrained

84%

Restrained

14%

Restrained Drivers

Unknown

6%

Restrained

58%

Unrestrained

36%

Unrestrained Drivers

Unknown

2%

Restrained

7%

Unrestrained

91%

Restrained Drivers

Unknown

6%

Unrestrained

Restrained 46%

48%

Figure 2

Figure 3
National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590

Conclusions

Based on crash data recorded in the FARS

database, the following conclusions can be made 

regarding the relationship between the restraint 

use of child passengers fatally injured in a crash 

and the restraint use of their drivers.

• The restraint use of fatally injured child 

passengers and their drivers are strongly

correlated. Child passengers are far more 

likely to be unrestrained if their driver is 

unrestrained, and similarly, child passengers 

are far more likely to be restrained if their 

driver is restrained. 

• For the age groups 0-3 years old, 4-7 years 

old, and 8-15 years old, the probability of a 

fatally injured child being unrestrained is 

between 2.0 and 2.5 times greater when the 

child is with an unrestrained driver versus

being with a restrained driver.

• As children get older, the percentage of

fatally injured children who are unrestrained 

increases. This trend exists among children 

traveling with unrestrained drivers as well as 

children traveling with restrained drivers. 

With unrestrained drivers, 68 percent of 0-3 

year olds, 84 percent of 4-7 year olds, and 

91 percent of 8-15 year olds were

unrestrained. With restrained drivers, only 

28 percent of 0-3 year olds, 36 percent of 4-

7 year olds, and 44 percent of 8-15 year olds 

were unrestrained

• The proportion of fatally injured child

passengers who are restrained is 39 to 44 

percentage points greater among restrained 

drivers than unrestrained drivers, for all

three age groups. For example, among child 

passengers 8 to 15 years old, 48 percent

were restrained when their driver was

restrained, while only 7 percent were

restrained when their driver was

unrestrained.

NCSA will continue to monitor these issues and 

report new findings as they become available. 

For additional copies of this research note, please call 1-800-934-8517 or fax your request to (202) 366-3189. For 

questions regarding the data reported in this research, contact Marc Starnes [202-366-0183]. This research note and 

other general information on highway traffic safety may be accessed by internet users at: http://wwwnrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/AvailInf.html

U.S. Department

of Transportation

National Highway

Traffic Safety

Administration

400 Seventh Street, S.W., NPO-120

Washington, D.C. 20590