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Half of Canadian parents think children are safe in normal seat belts by age 6

 

BUT THEY AREN'T!

 

May 31, 2004

 

A new national report unveiled today by Safe Kids Canada shows that only 28 per cent of Canadian families use booster seats for their four to nine year old children, the recommended age range for this safety device. The report also shows the reason for this: more than three-quarters (84 per cent) of parents mistakenly believe their children are too big or too old for booster seats, or that the safety device is unnecessary. In fact, more than half (53 per cent) of parents believe that children can be safely restrained in [standard] seat belts by age six.

 

The report also shows that one child age four to nine is hospitalized every day with serious injuries from a car crash; an additional 35 die from their injuries every year.

 

"Parents are clearly unaware of the risks to their children," says Allyson Hewitt, executive director, Safe Kids Canada. "Many of these injuries can be prevented by the use of booster seats. Seat belts simply do not provide enough protection for children who are not big enough for seat belts. Most children do not reach the right proportions until at least age nine."

A sea of booster seats represents the number of children age 4 to 9 killed each year in car crashes. Safe Kids Week 2004 "Age 4 to 9? It's Booster Seat Time" campaign runs May 31 to June 6. Pictured above are four year old Émile Kingsbury (right) who survived a car accident and his older brother Alexis in Montreal, Monday, May 31, 2004. (CANADA NEWSWIRE PHOTO/Safe Kids Canada)

Parents' misconceptions mean that many Canadian children are at risk for a medical condition called seat belt syndrome, says Safe Kids Canada. "Seat belt syndrome describes the pattern of injuries to the internal organs and spine caused by a seat belt that doesn't fit correctly," says Hewitt. "The damage is often so severe that doctors can see the mark of the lap belt on a child's abdomen."

 

The reason for this is simple: Seat belts are designed for adult bodies. They are designed to cross over the bones of the shoulder, chest and hips, the strongest parts of the body to withstand the forces of a crash. But children don't have the right proportions for a seat belt to fit like this until at least age nine. When a child is too small for a seat belt, it crosses the neck and abdomen, soft parts of the body that can be badly injured by the forces of a crash. The child is also at risk of being ejected from the seat belt.

 

Children unknowingly increase their odds of serious injury when they try to adjust an ill-fitting seat belt. Many children tuck the shoulder belt behind their backs to keep it off their necks, but this puts them at increased risk of flying forward in a crash and hitting the inside of the car.

 

A booster seat reduces the risk of serious injury by 60 per cent by keeping the seat belt positioned correctly over a child's shoulder, chest and hips. Safe Kids Canada recommends that all children be secured in booster seats from the time they outgrow car seats until the seat belt fits correctly, which usually doesn't happen until a child reaches age nine, often older.

 

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Parents can do a quick test to determine whether their child is big enough to use only a seat belt. The test involves measuring a child's seated height (from tailbone to the top of the head) and then testing the way the seat belt fits. A brochure which describes the seat belt test is being distributed for free by our sponsor Johnson & Johnson in stores across Canada.

 

"You wouldn't let your child ride your bike, because you know he or she would fall and get hurt," says Hewitt. "It's the same idea here. Don't let your child use a seat belt that was designed for adults. Kids need booster seats until they are big enough for the seat belt."

 

Today marks the launch of Safe Kids Week 2004, which runs until June 6. The campaign, "Age 4 to 9? It's Booster Seat Time!" is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.

 

 

Startling Statistics

 

Safe Kids Canada also is releasing a comprehensive national report on booster seats called "Booster Seat Use in Canada: A National Challenge". The report explains in detail the importance of booster seats and the reasons they're not being used more widely. Safe Kids Canada found that serious injuries from motor vehicle crashes have been steadily declining since the 1980s, but primarily among children younger than five and older than nine. In stark contrast, the number of hospitalizations for children age five to nine has not dropped even half as much, and the number of deaths has not dropped at all. The details:

  • Between 1997 and 2001, the death rate from car crashes dropped by 52 per cent among children under age five and by 25 per cent among children 10 to 14, but did not drop for children age five to nine.

  • Between 1994 and 2000, hospital admissions from car crashes dropped by 45 per cent among children under age five and by 40 per cent among children age 10 to 14, but by only 18 per cent among children five to nine.

In addition, the report provides the results of a national survey of parents conducted by Decima Research Inc. on behalf of Safe Kids Canada to determine knowledge, attitudes and behaviours concerning booster seat safety. More than three-quarters (84 per cent) of parents don't use booster seats because they believe their children are too big (42 per cent), that they don't need one (23 per cent), or are too old (19 per cent). This indicates a significant lack of awareness about the size and age guidelines for booster seat use.

A copy of the report is available on-line at www.safekidscanada.ca   The national report is based on an extensive literature review of national and international academic sources, as well as the analysis of unpublished statistics from key Canadian sources including Transport Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program. Safe Kids Canada also commissioned two research surveys to measure the attitudes and behaviours of parents about booster seats. The report was made possible by the generous support of Johnson & Johnson.

 

The Seat Belt Test

 

Do you think your child is safely protected in a seat belt? Take this test:

  1. Measure your child from the tailbone to the top of the head when he or she is sitting down. This measurement, called "seated height", needs to be at least 25 inches (63 cm) before you can even consider using a seat belt for your child.

  2. Test the way the seat belt fits your child.

  1. Shoulder belt: Can the shoulder belt go across the shoulder and chest without touching the neck?

  2. Lap belt: Can it fit low over the hipbones, under the abdomen? Sitting position: Can your child sit up straight and still bend his legs over the edge of the vehicle seat?

If you can answer "yes" to all three points, your child is big enough for a seat belt on its own.

 

 

 

Legislation is Critical

 

Of Canada's ten provinces and three territories, just the province of Quebec has booster seat legislation, passed in 2002. In the spring of 2004, Ontario announced proposed legislation. Laws for seat belts and car seats have made a significant difference in reducing injuries; children of booster-seat age are the only age group not covered by appropriate legislation. Safe Kids Canada urges all Canadian provinces and territories to introduce booster seat legislation to protect children in this vulnerable age group.

 

 

 

Source: Canada NewsWire