From 1982 through 1994, it is estimated that 2,655 lives were saved by child restraint use. More than 300 children age 4 and under were saved as a result of child restraint use in 1994 alone. If all child passengers under the age of 4 are restrained, an additional 200 lives could be saved and 20,000 injuries prevented annually. Air bags are estimated to reduce adult fatalities by an additional 10 percent over and above the benefits of using safety belts. Nearly all of these children were either unrestrained or improperly restrained.
Seat belts provide the greatest protection against ejection from a vehicle during a crash.
Three quarters of the occupants who are totally ejected from passenger vehicles during fatal crashes are killed. Never put a rear-facing infant or convertible seat in the front passenger seat of a vehicle with a passenger side air bag. Read your child safety seat instruction manual and your motor vehicle owner's manual for directions on proper installation. Some vehicles require supplemental attachment hardware to ensure proper fit of child safety seats.