PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Car crashes are the leading cause of death for most kids and teenagers, but not in the earliest years of life. Statistics show that’s because of the life-saving power of car seats.
Jacqueline Martinson knows this first-hand. Her daughter was in the hospital in critical condition for months after a serious rollover crash in Prescott in January.
“Somehow, she lost control of the car. The car rolled about three or four times and in that process, she was ejected out,” said Martinson.
But her 11-month-old granddaughter, who was also in the SUV at the time, was barely hurt because she was strapped into a car seat. “She actually came out of this situation by the grace of God with just a couple bruises,” said Martinson.
In Arizona, car crashes aren’t even in the top five leading causes of death for children under 4 years old, but once they turn 5, it’s the No. 1 killer.
“Something happens at about 5 years old where we think that they’re big enough to sit in the vehicle seat and so we transition them way too soon from a car seat into the vehicle seat,” said Yomaira Castillo, the injury prevention program manager for the Arizona Department of Health Services. “Once we make that transition, then the children aren’t safe.”
Castillo is part of the team that collects annual data about child deaths in our state. “Every child should be able to live through a car ride,” said Castillo.
Arizona law requires children younger than 8 years old and shorter than 4′9″ to be properly secured in a safety or booster seat. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all,” said Castillo. “There’s even children up until the age of 10 that can be in a car seat.”
She explains it’s more about a child’s height and weight than their age and booster seats are a critical next step for kids too big for rear or front-facing car seats.
“They save lives,” said Castillo. “Because what that booster seat is doing is hitting the child in the appropriate places, so over the hard shoulder bone and on their hard hip bones. That is the point of contact for a seat belt.”
But even if you have your child in a car or booster seat, things can still go wrong. According to national data, more than half of all car seats are not installed or used correctly and most parents don’t realize they’re making a mistake.
Experts said the proper installation of a child restraint can reduce the risk of death by 71%. “I would say 90% of the car seats that come through our car seat check events are improperly installed in some way,” said Meghan Chute, a certified car seat technician who is part of the Mesa Fire and Medical Department.
She helps parents at monthly car seat inspection clinics and said children should stay in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. “Babies and toddlers are very top-heavy. Their head grows much faster than the rest of their body. So, if I turn my child around too soon when they’re in the forward-facing mode, if there is a crash, that whiplash can cause severe injuries to the neck and the spine,” said Chute.
Arizona’s first car seat law in 1991 was for kids under 5 and at that time, car crashes were the leading cause of death among children. In 2012, the law changed to apply to kids up to 8 years old and while fewer younger children are dying in wrecks today, the problem persists with the 5 through 14 age group.
Data show just because your child is school-ready, doesn’t mean they’re ready to ride with just a seat belt. Castillo said the focus needs to be on keeping older kids in car seats longer and installing them correctly. “If a car seat is used correctly, facing the right direction, installed the right way with the harness correct, they do, they save lives and it’s proven. It’s in the data,” said Castillo.
That rings true for families recovering from bad accidents with good outcomes. “Definitely have your baby strapped in a 5-point harness, the safest one out there, because that’s what saved baby Icelan,” said Martinson.
If a parent is caught not following the car seat requirements, the fine could range from $50-$250. Certain car seats are safer than others. Consumer Reports does crash tests to find out which ones on the market are best.
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