Decreasing Injury in Children Ages 0-12 Years Old Through the Use of Proper Vehicle Restraint Systems

Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA

Child passenger safety devices were first introduced into the automobile world during the 1970’s. Since that time, safety for the child passenger has come a long way. Each year about 2,000 children die in motor vehicle accidents (Lee, Farrell, & Mannix, 2015). To combat those statistics, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2020 (2017) came up with a goal to decrease the number of pediatric injuries and fatalities related to vehicular crashes by increasing use of age-appropriate vehicle restraint systems by the year 2020. The proper utilization of child passenger safety devices helps to decrease the number of childhood fatalities related to automobile accidents (Bae, Anderson, Silver, & Macinko, 2013). To help parents to understand how to properly use their safety seats, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee of Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention (2011) developed a set of guidelines for what type of safety seat the child should be using depending on age, height, and weight. Oftentimes, there is a lack of knowledge for parents when it comes to proper use of a car seat, leading to an increased risk for injury for the child (Horder, 2016). As nurses, we must educate parents on the importance of proper utilization of child passenger safety devices during opportunities such as prenatal visits, prior to discharge from the hospital after delivery of a child, and also during pediatric wellness visits. Providing this education will contribute to a decrease in the amount of injuries of children involved in vehicle accidents, therefore decreasing the number of pediatric patients being treated for motor vehicle accident-related injuries (Horder, 2016).