Rear-facing child safety seat effectiveness: evidence from motor vehicle crash data.

Introduction: In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated their car safety seat (CSS) guidelines to recommend that children ride rear-facing as long as possible, yet evidence from observational studies on rear-facing CSS effectiveness is limited. This study estimated the association between rear-facing CSS use and injuries among children aged 0-4 years who were involved in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs).

Methods: This study analysed data on all MVCs involving children aged 0-4 years reported to the Kansas Department of Transportation from 2011 to 2020.