In motor vehicle crashes, the most at risk age group is which?

• A. 0-5
• B. 6-12
• C. 13-17
• D. 18-25

Answer: (B)

In motor vehicle crashes, how a person is restrained and where they sit in the vehicle greatly influences injury risk. For school-age children—roughly six to twelve years old—there’s a critical transition: they’ve outgrown child restraints but may not yet fit properly in an adult seat belt. This makes them vulnerable because the belt can ride high on the abdomen or neck, or the child may be seated without a booster to position the belt correctly. Booster seats help place the lap belt low across the hips and the shoulder belt across the chest, reducing the chance of serious injuries to internal organs, the spine, or the head in a crash. If restraints aren’t used correctly or if a booster isn’t used when appropriate, the child is more likely to suffer significant injuries from the belt’s forces or from striking interior vehicle surfaces. This combination of growing size, transitional restraint needs, and potential improper protection tends to make this age group particularly at risk compared with younger children who are more often properly restrained, and with older teens and young adults whose higher crash rates relate more to risk-taking behavior than to transition-related restraint issues.