Child safety seats reduce the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for children ages 1 to 4. Child safety seats each year save the lives of more than 300 children 4 years old and younger, and seat belts save more than 10,000 lives in America each year. Since 1996, child restraint use among children ages 4 and younger has increased and deaths among children 4 and younger dropped 12 percent from 1996 to 1998. But restraint use among older children has not increased as dramatically. However, the laws vary widely from state to state and many have gaps they do not cover children of all ages or do not apply to children in the back seat.
Children using poorly fitting adult belts can suffer serious internal injuries in a crash.
They also risk slipping out of the belts altogether and being ejected from the vehicle. After the age of 13, a child is usually large enough to sit in the front seat in an adult lap and shoulder belt.