WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- The number of children killed in car crashes in the United States dropped in 2009, thanks in part to child safety seats, federal officials say.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said children under age 14 accounted for about 4 percent of the victims killed in crashes, The Washington Post reported. There were 33,808 fatalities of all ages reported in 2009.
More children are killed in crashes than from any other cause in the United States.
NHTSA said child deaths averaged about four a day during the year, with 490 injuries.
Officials said laws requiring safety seats for infants and toddlers and booster seats for older children appear to effective. A NHTSA survey found 96 percent of toddlers were in safety seats, while the rate of appropriate restraints was 89 percent for older children.
UPI
