Thaindian News

Washington, May 2 (ANI): A new study has revealed that most children who first unbuckle were age three and under and that many unbuckle while the vehicle is in motion-putting them at a 3.5-fold increased risk for serious injuries.

“We found that young children might acquire the motor skills to unbuckle from restraints before developing the cognitive ability to understand the necessity of automotive restraints,” said Lilia Reyes, clinical fellow in Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics.

“This pilot study elucidates a potential safety hazard in child motor vehicle restraint that needs to be addressed,” she said.

Reyes and co-authors sought to determine the age at which a child begins to self-unbuckle, and also the frequency of children self-unbuckling while the car is in motion versus at a full stop.

The team surveyed a sample of parents with children less than six years of age.

One hundred surveys were distributed to five urban and suburban general pediatric offices in Connecticut.

The authors collected information about the age and gender of children in the household and current safety seat use.

Parents were asked at what age their children first unbuckled themselves from their safety restraints and whether the car was in motion or at a full stop.

The team found that 75 percent of children who self-unbuckle were age three and under, with an age range of 12 to 78 months. Unbuckling was reported as early as 12 months of age and was more common in boys than girls. Of the children self-unbuckling, 43 percent did so while the car was in motion.

The results of the study was recently presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Denver, Colo. (ANI)