Fast Facts  

• Using child passenger seats correctly saves lives. Among children younger than 5 years, an estimated 312 lives were saved by child restraint use in 1997. From 1975 through 1997, an estimated 3,894 lives were saved by child restraints.
• If child safety seats were used by all children younger than 5 years, an estimated 50,000 serious injuries would be prevented and 455 lives would be saved each year.
• In 1997, more than half of child passengers younger than 5 years who were killed in motor vehicle crashes were riding unrestrained.
• All 50 states and the District of Columbia have child restraint laws, and all these laws are "primary," meaning police may stop vehicles solely for belt law violations.
• Many local public health units have car seats available free of charge, or that can be purchased on a sliding fee scale or a loaner program for economically disadvantaged parents.