E PLURIBUS UNUM

Child Passenger Safety Forum

Summary

Report

December 9, 2010

National Transportation Safety Board
i

Safety for our smallest travelers should not be 

considered optional or a luxury.

—Deborah A.P. Hersman,

Chairman

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

AVIATION PANEL, PART I 1

Federal Aviation Administration and Flight Attendant Union Perspectives 1

Mr. DeWeese’s Comments 1

Ms. Claussen’s Comments 3

Ms. Friend’s Comments 3

General Discussion 4

AVIATION PANEL, PART II 4

Perspectives from Industry 4

Mr. Meenan’s Comments 4

Ms. Vasconcelos’s Comments 5

Ms. Gooding’s Comments 5

HIGHWAY SAFETY PANEL 5

Mr. Sinclair’s Comments 5

Dr. Arbogast’s Comments 6

Dr. McCartt’s Comments 7

Dr. Rouhana’s Comments 8

General Discussion 9

MOVING FORWARD: SOLUTIONS THAT WORK 10

Dr. Baldwin’s Comments 10

Dr. Durbin’s Comments 12

Mr. Decina’s Comments 13

Ms. Walker’s Comments 14

Mr. Campbell’s Comments 14

General Discussion 15

EXCERPT OF CLOSING REMARKS FROM 

CHAIRMAN DEBORAH HERSMAN 16

LINKS TO KEY NTSB STATEMENTS FOR 

CHILD OCCUPANT SAFETY IN AUTOMOBILES AND IN AIRCRAFT 16
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National Transportation Safety Board 1

INTRODUCTION

On December 9, 2010, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a day-long forum 

devoted to child passenger safety. The primary purpose of the forum was to improve child safety 

in airplanes and in automobiles through education and advocacy aimed toward the caregivers of 

children and the transportation industry. Another purpose was to identify effective strategies to 

increase child seat and seat belt use rates. This report summarizes key points made by each speaker 

and discussions with the panel members following their presentations. The views expressed do not 

necessarily represent the official positions of the NTSB. Links to key NTSB statements concerning 

child occupant safety in aircraft and in automobiles are listed at the end of this summary. 

AVIATION PANEL, PART I

Federal Aviation Administration and Flight Attendant Union Perspectives

Mr. Rick DeWeese, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Ms. Nancy Claussen, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Ms. Patricia Friend, Association of Flight Attendants

Mr. DeWeese’s Comments

■ Lap-held children: Not safe. Children younger than age 2 are not safe during turbulence or 

in a crash while being held in laps on airplanes.

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DeWeese about crashes: “if the child is trapped between the seat in front and the 

adult, it [the child] could be crushed.”

Persons holding a child “cannot react fast enough to counter an unanticipated and 

suddenly applied load as occurs during turbulence. They also just don’t have enough 

strength to hold onto a child during extreme loading conditions that can occur during 

a crash landing.”

■ Use government-approved child seats on airplanes (look for Red Letters on label): This is 

the best way to ensure a child’s safety during turbulence or an emergency. Most automotive 

child seats (rear- or forward-facing) sold in stores are also approved for use in aircraft.

•	 The FAA strongly recommends, but does not mandate, this practice.

■ Babies: Infants should be in rear-facing child seats while flying.

•	 Rear-facing child seats have a protective shell that distributes crash forces evenly and 

prevents the child from hitting surrounding objects.

■ Toddlers: Children who are too large for rear-facing seats should fly in forward-facing child 

seats with internal harnesses.

•	 Small children using only a lap belt can receive spinal cord injuries or hit their heads 

against seat frames. Using a forward-facing child seat reduces the risk of head injuries 

by reducing forward excursion.
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■ When are children ready to use lap belts?

•	 There is no precise age at which it is safe for children to graduate from child seats to 

lap belts. The height and weight of the child determines this. Parents should look at 

the size limits marked on their child restraints to see if they are appropriate to use. 

FAA research has focused on child seats with internal harnesses for children weighing 

40 pounds or less.

•	

Belly belts and baby slings: Belly belts and similar devices (baby slings, vests, etc.) that 

fasten children to adults are prohibited by the FAA during takeoff, landing, and surface 

movement. They can help restrain a child during turbulence but do not provide protection 

during crash landings.

Lab tests show that, during crash landings, children in belly belts may be crushed 

between adults and seat backs or may be ejected from laps. They are not protected 

and may be injured or killed.

Using child seats on airplanes: Child seats are attached to the airplane seat with the airplane 

seat’s lap belt. Airplane seats do not have the LATCH1

 system, which is common in most 

motor vehicles.

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FAA has a video on its website showing parents how to fasten forward-facing child 

seats in airplanes: <http://www.faa.gov/tv/?mediaId=228>

Website on flying with children: <http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/>

If child seat is less than 16 inches wide, it should fit into all airline seats, including 

commuter airlines.

Children may need to be moved to an airplane seat with more room between rows to 

accommodate seats, especially the larger rear-facing ones. 

Rows behind walls, referred to as bulkhead seats, often have enough space to 

accommodate rear-facing child seats.

Information from the FAA’s Website

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using a CRS [child restraint system]. 

FAA recommends that a child weighing:

Less than 20 pounds use a rear-facing CRS

From 20 to 40 pounds use a forward-facing CRS

More than 40 pounds use an airplane seat belt

A child may also use an alternative, such as a harness-type restraint, if it is 

approved by FAA. FAA has approved one restraint appropriate for children 

weighing between 22 and 44 pounds.”

Source: <http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs>.

1. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children.
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Harness restraint systems approved by FAA (AmSafe CARES):

Ms. Claussen’s Comments

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Why the FAA does not require that children younger than 2 be restrained: The FAA has not 

mandated proper restraint for children younger than age 2 because they worry that some families 

may choose to drive instead of fly if required to purchase an additional seat. Because commercial 

aviation is safer than motor vehicle travel, this could result in more child deaths on the road.

Enforcement: The FAA has taken few enforcement actions against airlines relating to 

whether they allowed children older than age 2 to be held in laps.

Statistics on how many children younger than 2 fly in commercial aviation: The FAA 

estimates that one percent of all passengers are children younger than age 2 but does not 

have exact numbers.

Statistics on how many children younger than 2 fly restrained: FAA does not have this 

information.

Ms. Friend’s Comments

■ Association of Flight Attendants: Wants a mandate to prohibit children from being held on 

laps.

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Said that parents do not keep a tight grip on children during the entire flight.

Unexpected (clear air) turbulence can occur while the seat belt sign is not lit and 

parents will be unable to react quickly enough.

Quote from flight attendant: “I have to tell passengers that they cannot hold their 

laptop computer on their lap; however, a wiggly 20-pound human is allowed.”

Children are used to riding in child seats in automobiles, so they may be resistant to 

being held on laps and may be more comfortable in their own child seats.

Flight attendants sometimes see children who appear to be older than age 2 (and 

without their own seat) held on laps during takeoff/landing; some attendants do not feel 

comfortable questioning parents about whether their children are younger than age 2.
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•	 Disagrees with the FAA’s concern that requiring all passengers to have their own 

seats will result in diversion to highway travel. Thinks that FAA’s analysis did not take 

important factors into account.

Unless there is a mandate, parents will incorrectly perceive that it is safe to hold 

children on laps.

Friend stressed the need for more training for flight attendants regarding child 

restraints.

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■ Ms. Friend pointed out that some airline websites make it difficult to buy tickets for 

children younger than 2: Some airline websites assume parents will not want to buy tickets 

for children younger than age 2. To buy a ticket, parents may have to claim that their 

children are age 2 or older.

General Discussion

■ There was discussion about whether the booster seat prohibition was appropriate for 

general aviation airplanes with shoulder belts.

There was discussion about education for owners and pilots of general aviation aircraft 

concerning child passenger safety. The FAA has made some efforts to disseminate 

information to them.

■

AVIATION PANEL, PART II

Perspectives from Industry

Mr. John Meenan, Air Transport Association

Ms. Kathleen Vasconcelos, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation (AOPA)

Ms. Mary Gooding, Virgin Atlantic Airlines

Mr. Meenan’s Comments

■ Recommends that parents have a discussion with the airline when booking seats about the 

best places to put a child restraint.

Statistics on number of children flying: The Transportation Security Administration has 

a Secure Flight advance passenger review system in which every passenger is required to 

be identified, including their birth date. It may be possible to get a more exact count of 

children from this database.

■

•	 Flight manifest data are supposed to record all passengers but are not kept on a 

long-term basis. Nobody is using flight manifest data to track how many children, 

including lap-held children, are flying.
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Ms. Vasconcelos’s Comments

■ AOPA has educational materials for private pilots about child safety and answers questions 

from both members and non-members.

Accidents: There have been general aviation accidents where children appear to have 

survived because they were using a child seat. There have also been accidents where 

children have died because they were not restrained.

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•	 NTSB Aviation Accident/Incident Database: Does not consistently identify ages of 

passengers and their restraint status. These are not standard data fields.

General aviation data: Rear seat is safer for children than front seat, just as in 

automobiles.

Children are a distraction in the front seat and also can impede the full range of 

motion for the control yoke. Having them close to cockpit controls is a problem.

General aviation challenge: Some 4-point harnesses do not accommodate child seats; 

Vasconcelos thinks there is a need to look at this problem.

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Ms. Gooding’s Comments

■ Virgin Atlantic Airlines has unique efforts to promote child passenger safety.

•	 Since 1992, they have provided aviation-certified child seats to parents who buy seats 

for their children so that parents do not have to carry automotive child seats through 

airports.

Provides child seats that can be used rear-facing or forward-facing and carry a few on 

every airplane.

Does deep cleaning of child seats every eight weeks and more often as needed.

Offers discounted fares to infants.

Crew installs aviation child seats; parents do not install the devices. Encourages 

people traveling with young children to purchase seats for them. Reservation agents 

mention this possibility to people who want to travel with infants.

Collects data on how many children travel and whether they are using a child restraint 

provided by Virgin Atlantic.

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HIGHWAY SAFETY PANEL

Mr. Alexander Sinclair, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Dr. Kristy Arbogast, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Dr. Anne T. McCartt, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

Dr. Stephen Rouhana, Ford Motor Company

Mr. Sinclair’s Comments

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In 2009, there were 322 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities among children ages 4 and 

younger and over 30% of these children were totally unrestrained.

On average, 490 children a day (ages 14 or younger) were injured in highway crashes in 

2009.

Car seats saved an estimated 309 lives in 2009; they could have saved 63 more lives if 100% 

of children used them.

Younger children (i.e., infants and toddlers) are the most likely to be in the correct restraint 

type, and as children age, the rates of appropriate restraint use decline.

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For children younger than age 4, 98–99% of them are in an appropriate restraint.

Booster seat use for children ages 4–7 is much lower. It is 41% and has been about that 

level for years.

There are also lower usage rates in general for low-income families, Hispanics, and 

African Americans.

The percentage of children seated in back, the safest place for them, has risen; 

although, not every state requires children to be seated in the back.

■ As of 2010, 47 states and the District of Columbia now require booster seat use. State laws 

vary quite a bit in terms of age requirements for booster seat use.

■ NHTSA recommended practices:

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Children should be seated in the back.

Keep infants in rear-facing seats up to the maximum weight requirement for the seat 

(minimum of age 12 months and 20 pounds).

Next step is graduating to forward-facing child seats, which they should stay in until 

they reach the upper height or weight limits of the rear-facing seat.

Next step is graduating to booster seats, which they should use until vehicle seat belts 

fit them properly.

Older children should wear lap/shoulder belts and stay in the back seat.

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Every trip is a potentially dangerous trip, including short trips. Parents need to hear this 

message.

NHTSA incentives for states to strengthen seat belt laws and booster seat laws have been 

effective.

Dr. Arbogast’s Comments

■ With assistance from State Farm Insurance, CHOP collected and analyzed child-specific 

crash data from 1998–2007, and those data informed much of what we know about child 

safety in autos today.
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■ Such data are useful because they can guide the use of limited resources. The following 

findings have guided state laws for booster seats and policy recommendations:

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Children in rear-facing seats: 44% lower risk of moderate/severe injury than among 

children in forward-facing seats.

Children in forward-facing seats: 28% lower risk of moderate/severe injury than 

among children in seat belts.

Children in booster seats: 45% lower risk of moderate/severe injury than children in 

seat belts.

■ CHOP will have a partnership with NHTSA to explore how they can use the National 

Automotive Sampling System (NASS) infrastructure to create a national resource for child 

crash data. It will be called the National Child Occupant Special Study (NCOSS). Pilot 

studies are being funded by industry and IIHS.

•	 Such studies may be able to evaluate recent technologies such as higher weight limits 

for child restraint systems (CRS), vehicle side impact structure improvements, and 

booster seat use.

■ Child occupant protection is more than child restraints, especially for older children.

•	 “Why should those 8- to 12-year-olds and 13- to 15-year-olds have a higher risk of 

injury than their younger siblings?”

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Arbogast said there is a need to keep conducting public health surveillance on children 

involved in crashes to understand emerging trends and problems.

Arbogast said that the rear seat environment should be optimized for all occupants, 

including children.

The Kohl’s Safety Center at CHOP has been a good resource for the people of southeastern 

Pennsylvania. People can purchase child seats and learn how to use them as well as other 

safety devices.

Dr. McCartt’s Comments

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Too many children are still not restrained at all.

Many children are not riding in restraints that are best for their age. For example, too many 

4- to 8-year-old children are riding with seat belts alone when they should be using booster 

seats.

State laws vary in terms of ages for booster seats, and there is room for improvement in 

these laws.
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■ IIHS worked with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) 

to develop a system for evaluating booster seats in terms of lap/shoulder belt fit using a 

dummy representing a 6-year-old child. They use the system to rate boosters and publish 

the results for parents/consumers. Dr. McCartt believes it has led to better designs by 

booster seat manufacturers.

Using a top tether is a simple way to keep children in forward-facing seats safer, but tether 

use is low. A NHTSA study found that tethers were being used in only about half of seats 

with tethers and anchors. When tethers were used, they were often too loose. A recent IIHS 

study found that for 2001 model year or newer cars, the tether was used 47% of the time 

and was adjusted tautly 43% of the time.

The IIHS observed lower use rates for tethers in pickup trucks than cars.

Many parents are not getting the message about the importance of using tethers and do 

not necessarily understand that they should use the tether even when using the seat belt to 

attach the child seat to the vehicle.

IIHS is currently working with UMTRI to evaluate the usability of LATCH systems.

Belt use rates decrease among older children and pre-teens; McCartt says there is a need to 

work on this problem.

McCartt thinks NHTSA regulations for boosters should include criteria for goodness-of-fit.

McCartt suggested that aggressive belt-reminder systems may be a promising technology 

for increasing seat belt use among older children who have graduated from booster seats.

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Dr. Rouhana’s Comments

For many years, Ford has been looking for ways to improve occupant protection in the rear 

seats of motor vehicles.

Ford has worked for a decade to develop inflatable belt systems for rear seats, and they are 

just beginning to offer them as an option on new Ford Explorers in March 2011.

Inflatable belts are designed to be used with, not to replace, existing child restraint systems. 

They are designed to reduce occupant head excursion, help limit occupant neck loads 

(reduce neck injury), and distribute belt loads over more of the chest (reduce chest injury).

Inflatable belts are expected to benefit all occupants, especially children, smaller occupants, 

and elderly people.
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■ Many 8-year-old children are too small for seat belts, although state laws typically do not 

mandate booster seats for children who are age 8 or older. Many children do not properly fit 

into seat belts until they are much older than age 8.

General Discussion

■ Laws that are enforced are very effective at changing behavior and getting the message out 

to parents.

The NTSB has investigated catastrophic accidents in which children in child seats survived 

but adults were fatally injured as well as accidents where children were fatally injured 

because they were not in child seats or seat belts.

No current government rating systems expressly focus on vehicle rear seat safety or child 

seat compatibility with automobiles (NHTSA evaluates ease of use but not safety or 

compatibility).

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•	 Manufacturers may lack incentives to improve rear seats in the absence of rating systems 

or consumer information programs. One difficulty in implementing such a program is 

the fact that there are so many auto/child restraint system variations to consider.

■ Currently, there is no known relationship between booster seat fit and safety in a crash. The 

NHTSA/CHOP effort could shed some light on this. Police-reported data on types of child 

restraints used are not reliable.

One challenge is that child restraint laws are typically based on children’s ages, whereas 

the best practices for child restraint use ideally should be based on the fit of the restraints. 

However, it is difficult to write regulations based on fit. Regulations based on height/weight 

would be difficult to enforce.

The presenters thought that it would be desirable to have an integrated vehicle restraint 

solution for older children instead of boosters, which were referred to as a “band-aid 

approach.”

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•	 Such systems were once available, but were not commercially successful.

■ There are still improvements that could be made in standardizing and making it easier to 

install child safety seats (e.g., LATCH standardization).

Tether anchors are not standardized and are in a variety of different locations on the vehicle. 

They sometimes are hard to use, which may reduce use rates.

There is a movement to improve safety communication to groups with lower child seat 

use rates including low-income Hispanic and African American populations. For example, 

research has suggested that using word of mouth, faith-based organizations, and short 

fotonovelas might be a good means of communicating with Hispanic populations.

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■ Economic issues may influence the choices of some parents. That is, they may not be able 

to afford child safety seats, especially a succession of child seats for different ages. Medicaid 

does not fund child safety seats unless the child has a defined medical need. Some programs 

for distributing child safety seats to low income families have been successful.

One panelist suggested that a more portable child safety seat would be helpful for families 

that rely on public transport or transport from friends. It’s hard for families who do not own 

a car to carry a 30–40 pound seat and one or more children.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has publicly announced his 

intention for NHTSA to develop and implement a correct fit program that would assess 

how a particular child seat fits into a certain vehicle because that is the “number one 

dilemma for parents.”

Another area for future research is the long-term outcomes of children involved in crashes 

as opposed to only focusing on fatalities and acute injuries.

The large proportion of children who are being restrained properly now is a success story, 

but there are still areas that need improvement.

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MOVING FORWARD: SOLUTIONS THAT WORK

Dr. Grant Baldwin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dr. Dennis Durbin, American Academy of Pediatrics

Mr. Lawrence Decina, TransAnalytics 

Ms. Lorrie Walker, Safe Kids Worldwide

Mr. David Campbell, Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association

Dr. Baldwin’s Comments

■ Public health model: valuable framework for problem-solving. 

•	 Involves multiple stages:

1. Surveillance,

2. Risk and protective factor identification,

3. Development of programs and policies, and

4. Evaluation and implementation of evidence-based interventions on larger scale.

■ Need to consider social ecology: address factors that encourage or discourage child seat use 

(e.g., costs, parental knowledge, social norms, burden of carrying car seats through airport, 

etc.). Need to broaden view of points of intervention and learn lessons from previous 

behavior change initiatives.
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■ Important to apply behavioral and social science theory to public health problems. Health 

Belief Model points to perceived threat, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, and 

perceived barriers. There also are other useful theories (Theory of Planned Behavior, Social 

Cognitive Theory).

Multiple factors influencing behavior means there are multiple opportunities to 

intervene.

Dr. Baldwin’s list of ten approaches to changing behavior:

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 1. Tailor message to audience (e.g., young parents).

■ Evaluation of program outcomes is essential. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

mandates that evaluation be included in any funded programs.

•	 Evaluating process, such as web hits, as described by FAA, is useful, but it is not 

sufficient.

■ Other high-risk groups for vehicle occupant deaths and injuries: Native Americans and 

Alaskan Natives.

Unfortunate that children in states with less stringent laws are exposed to higher risks than 

children in states with stronger child restraint laws.

Mass media campaigns may not be an effective method to reach the people who are not yet 

using child seats and seat belts. Improved laws and enhanced enforcement may be more 

effective.

Currently, parents have to opt in to buy an airplane seat for their children younger than 

age 2. Baldwin said that use rates might increase if the default option is buying a seat for 

children unless parents choose to opt out.

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Dr. Durbin’s Comments

■ Best practices as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

•	 Children should ride in rear-facing child seats until they reach the maximum height/

weight limits for their particular child seat. Riding in rear-facing child seats until one 

year of age and 20 pounds is a minimum standard; extending that period of time is 

desirable.

•	 Many rear-facing child seats can now accommodate children up to 35 pounds 

(larger than most 24-month-olds).

•	 Caregivers should keep toddlers in forward-facing child seats until they reach height 

and weight limits for that seat before graduating them to booster seats.

•	 Many forward-facing child seats can now accommodate children up to 50 

pounds (larger than most 5-year-olds).

•	 Use belt-positioning booster seats until vehicle seat belts fit child properly.

All children younger than 13 should be seated in rear seats.

All older passengers should use both lap and shoulder belts.

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■ The American Academy of Pediatrics has an online car seat guide to help caregivers 

select seats; it’s updated annually and highlights the wide variety of available products 

(<http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm>).

Pediatricians need to convince parents to be firm with children and not make use of booster 

seats negotiable.

■

•	 CHOP did a parent survey and was stunned to find out that most parents let children 

start making decisions about how to sit in cars at age 4.

■ The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all young children flying, including 

those younger than age 2, be restrained in an appropriate child safety seat during takeoff, 

landing and turbulence.

Substantial efforts are being made to disseminate information to pediatricians so that 

their advice to parents is up to date. These efforts include publications, conferences, online 

materials, and continuing medical education. Pediatricians are asked to counsel parents/

caregivers about automotive safety at every health checkup.

■

•	 There is variation among pediatric practices in the extent to which they follow this 

recommendation.

■ To promote child health and development, the American Academy of Pediatrics launched 

<http://www.healthychildren.org>, a website for parents and the general public. Child 

passenger safety is the most visited part of the website.
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■ Durbin: The United States needs to have effective surveillance systems for identifying 

problems, developing and disseminating programs, and evaluating interventions. Adequate 

quality and quantity of data to monitor child motor vehicle safety is necessary.

A mass media campaign with a simple message is often ineffective because it does not target 

the right people in the right circumstances to get them to do the right thing.

Lessons learned from automotive safety that can be applied to airplane safety: need to have 

better data on child safety in aircraft. It is easier to make good decisions when good data are 

available; should know how many children are flying. If smart people are drawing opposite 

conclusions from the same data, that points to a problem with the data. Example: NHTSA 

and automobile manufacturers were able to respond quickly to the airbag-induced deaths 

because they had good data.

Durbin suggests that Medicaid could cover child seats as durable medical equipment for 

families with very low incomes. There is evidence that if you make the seat available, people 

will use it.

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Mr. Decina’s Comments

■ Misuse of child seats still is common, about 72%. 

Some population groups are less likely to use child restraints. Usage rates are influenced 

by income, race, ethnicity, driver age and sex, child age, whether driver uses seat belts, 

perception of risk, awareness of best practices, type of vehicle (pickup occupants have lower 

use rates).

Stronger laws and stronger enforcement increase use rates. Enforcement is key component.

Seat giveaways work.

Faith-based organizations’ efforts to disseminate information about child safety seats appear 

to increase child seat use rates.

Decina: One means to address nonuse of child restraints in automobiles is to designate 

child restraint enforcement teams. These police officers do not need to go through the fourday child passenger safety technician course, but they do need supplemental training and 

allotted time to devote to enforcing child restraint laws.

Pre-schools and elementary schools are good resources for reaching caregivers of booster 

seataged children.

NHTSA’s funding of state programs has been successful in improving motor vehicle 

occupant safety.

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Ms. Walker’s Comments

■ Advocates that parents use car seats to and from airport so they get used at destination.

Pointed out many benefits for parents when children use child seats on airplanes: children 

are more comfortable, do not stand up in seats, do not pull people’s hair, less chances for 

misbehavior.

Technicians observe many errors at fitting stations; parents pick seats that do not fit their 

automobile.

Childbirth education classes and hospitals are both good places for parent education.

Child seat fitting stations have changed their focus from installing child seats for caregivers 

to teaching caregivers how to install child seats correctly. Caregivers will need these skills 

when using cars other than the ones in the fitting station.

Safe Kids has deployed mobile child seat fitting stations as one method to increase the 

correct use of child seats.

Safe Kids has started programs for older children (Cub Scout Patch for ages 7–10, Safest 

Generation for ages 11–12, Countdown2Drive for ages 13–14).

Walker said: Need to work with parents so they take back the reins in terms of laying 

down rules with children on motor vehicle safety. Parents can be reached at places such as 

pediatricians’ offices, Department of Motor Vehicles, and shopping malls.

Walker: Shortages of child passenger safety technicians are a problem.

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Mr. Campbell’s Comments

■ Recommended SAE practice, J1819, is designed to address known compatibility issues 

between vehicles and child seat designs.

Child seat manufacturers have raised the weight limits so that children can remain rearfacing longer and stay in forward-facing child seats with internal harnesses longer. Children 

are now heavier, so needed to raise minimum weight for rear-facing child seat to 30 pounds.

Child seat manufacturers have responded to a broad range of anchorage systems in different 

passenger vehicles.

Self-adjusting harness systems have become more common to tighten harnesses.

Energy-absorbing materials are being used by some manufacturers to improve protection of 

children in side impacts.

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■ Innovative seats rotate so that parents can place the children in them more easily.

Another innovation is that some manufacturers are testing child seats at more severe 

impacts, using 35-mph speeds instead of 30-mph speeds, as are used for NHTSA’s NCAP 

tests.

Some advances have been made to make it easier to select and install the seats, such as 

stay-in-car bases, adjusters to get the right angle for reclining, color-coding of different 

types of seats, indicators of correct tension lockoffs for shoulder belts, and connectors with 

automatic retractors that tighten belts used in LATCH systems.

Increasing use of LATCH system to secure booster seat to vehicles.

Working on problem of different alignments between LATCH and adult seating positions.

Continuing efforts are required to reach and educate new parents.

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General Discussion

■ Some presenters said there was a need for better data to address known problems and to 

identify new problems.

Some participants suggested a need for discussions among all the various segments 

(government, industry, and other stakeholders) to arrive at solutions. Some advocated 

having vehicle manufacturers and child seat manufacturers work together to make it easier 

to correctly install child seats. Chairman Hersman, alluding to the child passenger safety 

technician course, provided the following comment: it should not take a four-day course to 

learn how to properly install a child seat.

Safety should not be negotiated between parents and children.

Presenters said that parents who are flying with children need help to do the right thing. 

It is very difficult for them to maneuver through airports with children and car seats and 

other belongings in tow.

Education must be carefully designed and evaluated and needs to be a continuing effort. It 

cannot be a one-shot deal.

Presenters emphasized the need for vigorous enforcement of vehicle child restraint laws.

One suggestion was that FAA should take a look at what NHTSA has done and make 

educating parents a high priority.

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Child Passenger Safety Forum Summary Report

National Transportation Safety Board 16

EXCERPT OF CLOSING REMARKS 

FROM CHAIRMAN DEBORAH HERSMAN

“We can’t do a public service announcement and assume that everyone has 

received the message. We can’t put up a website and assume that people will 

visit it. We need to tap into all of the sources of education: pediatricians, 

mass media, as well as industry and public service organizations since 

thousands of babies are born each day in the United States.

Some of the best ways to get out the message are programs that deal not only 

with perceptions, but address the barriers that get in the way of people doing 

the right thing every time. We need vigorous enforcement of chi ld seat laws in 

vehicles, particularly since we know that these laws improve child seat use rates 

and they influence behavior.

NHTSA has done an impressive job of implementing and then evaluating 

child safety interventions. We encourage the FAA to be similarly proactive to 

take a look at what NHTSA has done, consider what the speakers have said 

today and make educating parents about child safety a high priority. Safety 

for our smallest travelers should not be considered optional or a luxury.”

LINKS TO KEY NTSB STATEMENTS FOR 

CHILD OCCUPANT SAFETY IN AUTOMOBILES AND IN AIRCRAFT

Automobiles: See <http://www.ntsb.gov/Surface/highway/childseat.htm#safetyseats.htm> and 

<http://www.ntsb.gov/alerts/SA_002.pdf>.

 1.

Aviation: See <http://www.ntsb.gov/Aviation/aviation.htm> and 

<http://www.ntsb.gov/alerts/SA_015.pdf>.

 1. Purchase a ticket for all children younger than 2 years and restrain them in a child