Car Seat Use Up, Deaths Among Children Down 43%

Even though health officials say the increased use of car seats and booster seats drove the decline, one-third of the children 12 and under who died in 2011 were not buckled up.

Over a decade, the number of children 12 and under who died in crashes dropped by 43 percent, according to a new government report. According to the CDC report deaths of children 12 and under reported from 2002 through 2011, fatalities declined to levels not seen since the 1940s.

Health officials recommend that parents to keep all children 12 and under in the back seat, use car seats and booster seats until seatbelts fit properly and rear facing car seats should be used by children until the age of 2.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently proposed new regulations to better protect kids in car seats from side-impact crashes.