MENU
SEARCHAAA data analysis also finds improper safety seating fittings, urges caregivers to practice correct methods.
Child traffic fatalities show 37% of children 7 to 11 who died in car crashes were riding with no restraints at all, and 26% of those 3 and younger were unrestrained.
Pexels/Cottonbro Studio
The use of car seats and boosters for children has fallen, according to new research released before National Child Passenger Safety Week.
The AAA study of federal crash data uncovered the practice of letting children ride without the safety seating starting at age 3.
“This is alarming, given that more than 100,000 children were injured in car crashes in 2022 alone,” the motor club federation said in a press release on the findings.
It cited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics on child traffic fatalities that show 37% of children 7 to 11 who died in car crashes were riding with no restraints at all. Twenty-six percent of those 3 and younger were unrestrained.
AAA is teaming with the National Safety Council the week of Sept. 15 to promote use of child seats and boosters.
The group said that based on the National Digital Car Seat Check Form database, 74% of child car seats inspected last year weren’t properly installed or used. In the four years ending in 2022, it said more than four million children 11 and younger were in vehicle collisions that resulted in almost 3,000 fatalities.
AAA pointed to U.S. transportation department data that show child restraints reduce fatalities by 71% for children younger than 1 and by 54% for those 1 to 4. It said the three most common restraint misfittings are car seats installed too loosely; failure to use the tether for a forward-facing car seat; and loosely securing car seat harnesses.
“Just like new shoes and clothes, a growing child requires seat adjustments,” said AAA Traffic Safety and Advocacy Manager Rhonda Shah.
Wholesale auto conversion rates dropped slightly as auction buyers proved picky last week, analysts observed.
Read More →
Fast charging of electric vehicles provides a solution for range anxiety, but it also poses a risk to battery cycle life due to increased temperatures, according to an EV supply chain data provider.
Read More →
Expanding Midwest automotive group picks up three stores as part of the robust transaction activity early this year.
Read More →
Stellantis is adding a third end-of-life vehicle dismantling facility to feed its growing reuse business sparked in large part by autos’ growing lifespans.
Read More →
Cox Automotive data shows Americans doubled down on big-is-better despite price increases. Slightly higher incentives helped fuel the demand.
Read More →
The automaker says its movement of some electric-vehicle work to the S.C. factory is part of a more tailored product focus. It also plans to add a new hybrid model to the plant’s itinerary.
Read More →
Last week's wholesale automotive auction activity continued in a healthy mode, though buyers practiced selectivity.
Read More →
CarGurus’ first quarterly review of 2026 shows that affordability concerns are continuing to drive consumer purchases with a shift to more fuel-efficient options.
Read More →
JD Power analysts see auto retail faring this year’s storms well through various means, though it acknowledges conditions are challenging to accurately predict.
Read More →
Car insurance premiums have continued to decline so far this year, the overall national average settling at $138 per month in March, according to Insurify data.
Read More →