Restraint use is lower in rural areas and low-income communities. Lack of access to affordable child safety seats contributes to a lower usage rate among low-income families. It is estimated that nearly 300 children ages 4 and under were saved as a result of child restraint use in 1998. If all child passengers ages 4 and under were restrained, it is estimated that an additional 173 lives could be saved and 20,000 injuries could be prevented annually. Although car booster seats are the best way to protect them, only five percent of booster-age children are properly restrained in car booster seats.
Safety restraints afford the greatest protection against ejection from a vehicle during a crash.
Nearly three-quarters of occupants who are totally ejected from passenger vehicles during fatal crashes are killed. It is estimated that air bags have saved more than 3,700 lives since they were first introduced in the late 1980s. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories have child occupant protection laws which vary widely in their age requirements, exemptions, enforcement procedures and penalties. These laws typically cover only children ages 3 and under. Most of these laws cover front-seat occupants only and mandate secondary enforcement, which means an officer may cite a driver for not wearing a safety belt only if the violator is initially stopped for another violation.