Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 102 Part 1.djvu/44

 102 STAT. 6

PUBLIC LAW 100-245—FEB. 10, 1988 Public Law 100-245 100th Congress Joint Resolution

Feb. 10, 1988 [H.J. Res. 402]

To designate the week of February 7-13, 1988, as "National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week".

Whereas motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death of children over the age of 6 months in the United States; Whereas motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of the crippling of children in the United States; Whereas more children under the age of 5 years are killed or crippled as passengers involved in motor vehicle crashes than the total number of children killed or crippled by the 7 most common childhood diseases; pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), and polio; Whereas motor vehicle crashes are the leading trauma related cause of spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, and mental retardation in the United States; Whereas, during the years 1978 through 1986, nearly 9,300 children under the age of 5 years were killed in traffic crashes and more than 450,000 children were injured in the United States; Whereas an unrestrained child is less protected by padding and energy-absorbing materials than an adult in a motor vehicle crash as a result of protective devices being placed in areas more likely to benefit adults; Whereas unrestrained children are subject to a significantly higher risk of serious head, spine, chest, and abdominal injury in motor vehicle crashes than adult passengers because the bodies of children are less developed and provide less protection; Whereas an unrestrained child in a motor vehicle crash faces an increased danger of fatal or serious injury from ejection as well as injuries resulting from contact with the vehicle interior; Whereas an unrestrained child in a motor vehicle not involved in a collision may be killed or injured as a result of sudden stops, turns, swerves, or falling from a moving vehicle; Whereas all 50 States and the District of Columbia have enacted laws mandating the use of child passenger protection systems; Whereas the latest national surveys show that 72 percent of children under the age of 5 are placed in child safety seats in the United States and that one-third of such seats are used incorrectly; Whereas current nationwide studies estimate that only 48 percent of children under the age of 5 are fully protected in cars in the United States through the correct usage of child safety seats; Whereas numerous government and private sector organizations have agreed to work in concert to achieve a minimum 70 percent correct usage of child passenger protection devices and adult safety belts by the year 1990; Whereas research shows that the correct use of child passenger protection devices is 90 percent effective in preventing death and 67 percent effective in preventing injury; and

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