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Why are our kids still dying in car crashes?

Deaths of children in motor vehicles decreased by 43% between 2002 and 2011. But more lives could be saved: Proper use of child safety restraints is still too low, and too many children are put at risk riding in the front seat.

People who work in public health often see the glass as half empty. Troubling health reports remind us where public health strategies have failed to take hold to prevent lost lives or injuries. Grim health statistics often underscore the number of people living with diseases that could have been prevented with early screening, prompt medical care or lifestyle changes, and injuries that could have been prevented with better safety precautions.

But public health has its share of accomplishments. Vaccination campaigns have eradicated smallpox; clean water and sanitation improvements have dramatically reduced infectious diseases like typhoid and cholera; and anti-smoking ad campaigns, smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes have reduced rates of cigarette smoking to their lowest level, saving thousands of lives each year.

And improvements in motor-vehicle safety through engineering of safer cars and highways and successful efforts to change driving and passenger behavior have contributed to large reductions in motor-vehicle-related deaths.

Motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. Age and size-appropriate child safety seat use reduces the risk for death of infants and children by 45% to 71%, depending on the age of the children. Yet, despite increasing use of child safety seats, many children still die needlessly passengers in car crashes.

Read more about The Public's Health.