Despite a 43% drop in the number of car crash-related deaths of children 12 and under, over 9,000 children died in car crashes between 2009 and 2012.  Objectively, far too many children still die in car accidents.  One third of all children who died were not wearing a seatbelt, while researchers found that 45% of African American children and 46% of Hispanic children killed in crashes were unbuckled.  Researchers could not explain the difference, other than the fact that socioeconomic status can play a role in whether a family has a carseat or booster seat.

State child restraint laws have an impact on crash survivability.  A 2012 study by researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examined the impact of laws in five states – Missouri, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Wyoming – that increased the required car seat or booster seat age to 7 or 8 years. The study found that car seat and booster seat use tripled, and deaths and serious injuries dropped by 17%.  The data reveals that, when children are properly restrained, they are far safer and more likely to survive an accident.