It is the law in Minnesota that all children under age four be seated in an approved car safety seat. Above that age they must, of course, be restrained in a seat belt. The main concern of the lawmakers was reducing the number of injuries and deaths among children in car accidents, but there are other reasons for parents to use car seats. Even if you are never involved in an accident with your child, you will benefit from using car seats. Each time you drive with your child appropriately bucked up, you probably will benefit from the child's controlled behavior.
Parents often spend their driving time trying to keep their children contented and still.
One study showed that children who are not buckled up often crawl around in their seats, stand up, complain, get into fights and play with the dashboard controls. In contrast, this study demonstrated that children who were buckled into car safety systems demonstrated 95 percent fewer incidents of misbehavior. Children are more likely to sleep and look around quietly when in car seats because they feel comfortable and safe. Control of the child's behavior can make driving safer in addition to making the time more pleasant. Children who are not buckled up may be able to open the door of a moving car and fall out.