Front passenger air bags can injure or kill young children in a crash. Never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat.
This offers the best possible protection.
Seat belt use reduces the risk for death and serious injury by about half for older children and adults.Booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45% for children age 4–8, when compared with seat belt use alone.Car seat use reduces the risk for injury in crashes by 71–82% for children, when compared with seat belt use alone.Parents and caregivers can make a lifesaving difference by checking whether their children are properly buckled on every trip. Of the children 12 and younger who died in a crash (for whom restraint use was known), 38% were not buckled up.
In 2019, more than 600 children 12 and younger died in motor vehicle crashes, and more than 91,000 were injured. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. Whenever you’re on the road, make sure children age 12 and younger are always properly buckled in the back seat in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt-whichever is appropriate for their age, height, and weight.