September 2004 A Brief Statistical Summary Published by the Mathematical Analysis Division DOT HS 809 786

Reduction of Fatalities and Injuries 

Among Passenger Vehicle Occupants Age 4-7

Traffic Safety Facts

Crash•Stats

National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590 

Among 4- through 7-year-old passenger vehicle occupants, 

fatalities have declined 14.5 percent from 1999 to 2003 (see 

Table 1). The number of passenger vehicle occupants injured 

has dropped from 71,000 in 1999 to 52,000 in 2003 (see Table 

2). Passenger vehicles consist of passenger cars, sport utility 

vehicles (SUVs), vans, and pickups. The fatalities and injuries 

analyzed in this note are limited to people within passenger 

vehicles in transport. 

Table 1

Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities, Age 4-7, By Year, 

and Restraint Use

 Restraint Used Unrestrained Total

 Year Number Percent (%) Number Percent (%) Number

 1999 152 39 235 61 387

 2000 180 49 187 51 367

 2001 186 50 184 50 370

 2002 155 49 163 51 318

 2003 168 51 163 49 331

Source: FARS 1999-2002 Final, 2003 Annual Report File

Note: Children whose restraint use was coded as “unknown” were pro-rated 

between the restraint used and unrestrained categories. The pro-rated fatality 

counts in the table above have been rounded off to the nearest whole number.

■ In 2003, almost half of the 4- through 7-year-old occupants 

who were fatally injured were unrestrained. 

■ The percent of fatally injured occupants 4 through 7 who 

were unrestrained declined from 61 percent to 49 percent 

from 1999 to 2003.

The number of unrestrained occupants 4 through 7 who were 

fatally injured decreased 31 percent, from 235 in 1999 to 163 

in 2003. Two-thirds of this decrease occurred from 1999 to 

2000.

For the fatality data provided in Table 1, children whose 

restraint use was coded as “Shoulder Belt”, “Lap Belt”, 

“Lap and Shoulder Belt”, “Safety Belt Used Improperly”, 

“Child Safety Seat”, “Child Safety Seat Used Improperly”, 

or “Restraint Used, Type Unknown” were grouped into the 

“Restraint Used” category. Those children with a restraint 

use variable coded as “None Used” were considered 

unrestrained.

Table 1 provides fatality counts for 4- through 7-year-olds 

from 1999 through 2003. Table 2 shows corresponding injury 

data for the same age group and time period.

Table 2

Passenger Vehicle Occupant Injured, Age 4-7, By Year, 

and Restraint Use

 Restraint Used Unrestrained Total

 Year Number Percent (%) Number Percent (%) Number

 1999 60,000 84 11,000 16 71,000

 2000 57,000 87 9,000 13 65,000

 2001 50,000 87 8,000 13 57,000

 2002 47,000 85 8,000 15 56,000

 2003 46,000 89 6,000 11 52,000

Source: GES 1999-2003

Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Percents were 

calculated prior to rounding. Restraint use is determined by police and may be overreported.

■ The number of injured passenger vehicle occupants 

4 through 7 declined by 27 percent from 1999 to 2003. 

Within this 5-year period, the number of injured 

occupants dropped each year, from 71,000 in 1999, down 

to 52,000 in 2003.

■ In 2003, the percent of injured 4- through 7-year-old 

passenger vehicle occupants that were unrestrained 

dropped to an all-time low of 11 percent.

For the injury data provided in Table 2, children whose 

restraint use was coded as “Shoulder Belt”, “Lap Belt”, “Lap 

and Shoulder Belt”, “Child Safety Seat”, or “Restraint Used, 
National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590 

Type Unknown” were grouped into the “Restraint Used” 

category. Those children with a restraint use variable coded 

as “None Used” were considered unrestrained. Children 

whose restraint use was coded as “Unknown” were pro-rated 

between the restrained and unrestrained categories. The prorated injury counts in Table 2 have been rounded off to the 

nearest thousand. 

The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) 

provides probability-based data on the use of child restraints 

on the nation’s roads. The NOPUS survey of 2002 was the first 

to examine the age group of 4- through 7-yearolds. In 2002, 

this survey found that only 83 percent of 4- through 7-yearolds are restrained. The survey also found that 29 percent of 

4- through 7-year-olds were seated in the front seat, instead of 

the safer back seat. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) 

used three databases for this report. The passenger vehicle 

occupant fatality data shown in table 1 were provided by 

the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The injury 

data provided in table 2 was collected from the National 

Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System 

(GES). The probability-based estimates of restraint use were 

provided by the NOPUS observational survey. 

For additional copies of this research note, call 800-934-

8517 or fax your request to 202-366-3189. For questions 

regarding the data reported in this research, call Marc 

Starnes at 202-366-0183. This research note and other 

general information on highway traffic safety may be 

accessed by Internet users at:http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.

gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/AvailInf.html.