Child Passenger Safety Improving Booster Seat - 1140 Words

Child Passenger Safety: Improving Booster Seat in the Hispanic Population Problem Statistics have revealed, in the US, that accidental deaths are the most common among children. â€Å"Children†, in this particular case, is referring to 5-14-year-olds. Among these are the deaths due to car accidents, which are preventable deaths (cite me). Texas, in particular has a high rate of children dying from car accidents. The population of children, in Texas, is estimated at 4,777.656; however, this is an overestimated because it includes 15-18 year olds (Texas Department, 2015a). Seventy-nine, 5-24 year olds died in 2013 and in 2014 that number elevated to ninety-eight deaths (Texas Department, 2015b; 2015c). In addition to the mortality of the car†¦show more content†¦It is especially important to determine whether or not the child needs to be using a booster seat. According to the scholarly journal, Pediatrics, â€Å"children who were aged 4 to 8 years and using BPB (booster) seats were 45% less likely to sustain injuries than similarly aged children who were using the vehicle seat belt†(cite this). From this statement, it can be concluded that the improper seat belt use for children ages 4-8 can lead to significantly higher chances of injury. On the other hand, children, who are not restrained with any type of seat belt are 80% more likely to be ejected from the automobile upon crashing, and of the 80% who are ejected, there is a 77% chance of a fatality (U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S DoT, n.d.). From these statistics, it can be concluded that the proper combination of booster seats and seat belts utilization for children 4-8 will greatly improve the chances of living and sustaining injuries (U.S DoT, n.d.). To further the reduce chance of crashing and injury in general, parents should always avoid driving while under the influence (Lenne et al., 2010). An existing public health intervention by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sought to decrease injury and death for children in motor vehicle crashes through their formal policy change in March of 2011 (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP], 2011). In this policy change, they expanded best-practice child passenger safety recommendations across all ages. The AAP’s