Every year, children suffer preventable injuries and deaths in motor vehicle crashes because they are not riding in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat. According to the latest data from 2004, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 2 to 14 years old. Injuries suffered while riding in cars are the number one preventable cause of death in young children. The magnitude of this problem demands that parents educate themselves as to the dangers children face. One of the best ways to prevent an injury is for infants and children to always ride in care safety seats. For older children, a proper restraint system must be used each and every time they ride. If a child is less than 4'9" tall, they must be in a booster seat. Only an estimated 10 to 20 percent of children ages 4 to 8 are placed in booster seats by the adults who care for them, according to J. Robert Galvin, MD MPH, commissioner of the Department of Public Health. A recent study by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia indicates that children in this age group who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children restrained by a seat belt alone.

For maximum child passenger safety, parents and caregivers need to remember and follow the 4 steps for Kids:

1. Use rear-facing infant seats in the back seat from birth to at least 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds.

2. Use forward-facing toddler seats in the back seat from age 1 and 20 pounds to about age 4 and 40 pounds.

3. Use booster seats in the back seat from about age 4 to at least age 8, unless the child is 4'9" or taller, and use safety belts in the back seat at ages 8 or older (or when your child is taller than 4'9").

4. All children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat.

Remember, as parents it is your responsibility to keep you children safe and provide an environment that is secure.