Child Passenger Fatalities Declined 43% Over Decade, CDC Reports

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report revealed a 43 percent drop in motor vehicle crash fatalities among children age 12 and younger between 2002 and 2011. The Vital Signs report, released recently, highlights this decrease while also noting that over 9,000 children in this age group died in crashes during the same period.

The agency attributes the decline to increased use of child safety seats and booster seats, as well as advancements in vehicle safety technology. They also cite stricter enforcement of traffic safety laws.

Researchers analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. They examined trends in child passenger deaths and related factors over the ten-year span. The report did not offer specific reasons for individual crashes, focusing instead on the overall statistical trends. The report did not include data beyond 2011.