Nber Working Paper Series Evaluating the Effectiveness of Child Safety Seats and Seat Belts in Protecting Children from Injury
نویسندگان
چکیده
Young children are required to use child safety seats, and the age threshold at which children can legally graduate to seat belts has steadily increased. This paper tests the relative effectiveness of child safety seats, lap-and-shoulder seat belts, and lap belts in preventing injuries among motor vehicle passengers aged 2-6. We analyze three large, representative samples of crashes reported to police, as well as linked hospital data. We find no apparent difference in the two most serious injury categories for children in child safety seats versus lap-and-shoulder belts. Child safety seats provide a statistically significant 25% reduction in the least serious injury category. Lap belts are somewhat less effective than the two other types of restraints, but far superior to riding unrestrained. Steven D. Levitt Department of Economics University of Chicago 1126 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 and NBER [email protected] Joseph J. Doyle MIT Sloan School of Management 50 Memorial Drive E52-447 Cambridge, MA 02142 and NBER [email protected]
منابع مشابه
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Child Safety Seats and Seat Belts in Protecting Children from Injury
Young children are required to use child safety seats, and the age threshold at which children can legally graduate to seat belts has steadily increased. This article tests the relative effectiveness of child safety seats, lap-and-shoulder seat belts, and lap belts in preventing injuries among motor vehicle passengers aged 2–6 yr. We analyze three large, representative samples of crashes report...
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