Finally, we are working to support greater international harmonization in both vehicle safety research and regulations. We are very interested in new technology to improve vehicle crash avoidance, and major research is planned on driver performance issues such as driver workload, driver distraction and driver alertness. We are also examining intelligent vehicle technologies including the ability of pre-crash sensors to improve the overall crash avoidance capability of our passenger and commercial vehicles. Of all the safety issues that confront us, however, there is no greater and no more important challenge than finding ways to improve child safety. And 60 percent of children killed in crashes either are not restrained or are improperly restrained.
Proper restraint is the single most effective safety measure.
For children ages 4 to 8, booster seats can help prevent injury by making adult-sized belts fit correctly. Unfortunately, studies report usage rate is below 10 percent. I am pleased to say that we expect to have a prototype next month, and I know this will be a vital contribution to improving child safety. The country can be proud of the progress we ve achieved on safety and the advances we are seeing every day from industry and from federal, state, and local governments. Safety belt use now exceeds 70 percent nationally and in some states it even exceeds 80 percent.