Injuries are frequently triggered by a child's curiosity, and most are preventable. Injuries are most likely when parents are rushed and busy or when they don't anticipate how risks change as their child grows older. A child who isn't wearing a seat belt or strapped into a correctly installed child safety seat may be the only casualty of a sudden stop that causes no property damage or injury to others in the car. Children should sit only in the back seat to avoid injury from air bags. Such restraints reduce fatalities by 40 to 50 percent and serious injuries by 45 to 55 percent.
Most states have laws requiring that children use safety restraints.
A child who is held by an adult, even if the adult is wearing a seat belt, is extremely vulnerable. In the event of a crash, the adult will be unable to hold onto the child, who will be thrown with tremendous force even at low speed. For instance, restraining a 10-pound child during a sudden stop in a car traveling 30 miles an hour would require the strength to lift 300 pounds 1 foot off the ground. An adult not wearing a seat belt may be thrown forward, possibly crushing the child against the interior of the car with a force many times the adult's weight. The child must be strapped into a restraint appropriate for his age and weight.