Carpooling Young Children Is Common, but Booster Seat Use is Inconsistent

The use of booster seats reduces risk for severe injury in motor vehicle collisions. In a cross-sectional national study, 681 parents of children aged 4 to 8 years reported about use of booster seats and carpooling.

Overall, 76% of parents reported that their children used child safety seats, and 24% reported that they used seat belts. Parents in states where booster seat use was not required for the child's age were five times more likely to use seat belts alone for their children than parents in states that required booster seat use. Most (64%) parents reported carpooling other children, with 15% doing so one or more times per week and 49% doing so less than once per week. Parents who reported carpooling in states with laws for booster sea…