Child Passenger Safety

Key points

  • Motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the U.S., but many of these deaths can be prevented.
  • To reduce risk of serious injury and death, properly buckle children in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts appropriate for their age and size.

Fast facts

In 2021, 711 child passengers ages 12 and younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S.,1 and in 2020 more than 63,000 were injured.2

Of the children who were killed in a crash, 36%A were not buckled up.1

Keep reading: Risk Factors for Child Passengers

Know the stages

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Infographic showing the 4 stages of booster seats by age and includes the text Make sure your child is always buckled in a car, booster, seat, or seat belt that is appropriate for their age and size.
Child passenger safety guidelines for parents and caregivers

Make sure your child is always buckled in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt that is appropriate for their age and size.

REAR-FACING CAR SEAT

Birth until age 2–4

Buckle children in a rear-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat. Keep children rear-facing as long as possible. Never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat. Front passenger air bags can injure or kill young children in a crash.

FORWARD-FACING CAR SEAT

After outgrowing rear-facing car seat and until at least age 5

When children outgrow their rear-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and a top tether in the back seat until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat.

BOOSTER SEAT

After outgrowing forward-facing car seat and until seat belt fits properly

When children outgrow their forward-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a booster seat in the back seat until the seat belt fits properly without a booster seat. Proper seat belt fit usually occurs when children are age 9–12.

SEAT BELT

When seat belt fits properly without a booster seat

Children no longer need to use a booster seat when the seat belt fits them properly. A seat belt fits properly when the lap belt is across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt is across the center of the shoulder and chest (not across the neck or face, and not off the shoulder).

Keep children properly buckled in the back seat until age 13.

*Recommended age ranges for each seat type vary to account for differences in child growth and weight/height limits of car seats and booster seats. Use the car seat or booster seat manual to check for important information about installation, the seat weight and height limits, and proper seat use.

Child passenger safety recommendations: American Academy of Pediatrics 2018.

www.cdc.gov/child-passenger-safety/about

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Keep reading: Preventing Child Passenger Injury

Resources and tools

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Content Source:
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
  1. Restraint status was known for 631 of the 711 child passenger vehicle occupants ages 12 and younger who were killed in crashes in 2021. Among the 631 child passengers for which restraint status was known, 226 (36%) were unrestrained.
  1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Traffic Safety Facts 2021 Data: Children (Report No DOT HS 813 456). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis; May 2023.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). WISQARS — Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2023.