Objectives:

To provide evidence-based recommendations for best practice in the choice of a child restraint system to optimize safety in passenger vehicles for children from birth to adolescence.

Methodology:

Literature Review

Key Findings:

• Child passenger safety has dramatically evolved over the past decade, but motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death of children 4 years and older.

• Best practice recommendations for a child restraint systems to optimize safety in passenger vehicles for children from birth through adolescence are:

• rearfacing car safety seats for most infants up to 2 years of age.

• forward-facing car safety seats for most children through 4 years of age.

• belt-positioning booster seats for most children through 8 years of age.

• lap-and-shoulder seat belts for all who have outgrown booster seats.

• all children younger than 13 years to ride in the rear seats of vehicles.

• Every transition from one type of child restraint to another is associated with some decrease in protection; therefore, parents should be encouraged to delay these transitions for as long as possible.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics urges all paediatricians to know and promote these recommendations as part of child passenger safety anticipatory guidance at every health-supervision visit.

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