Child safety seats for the prevention of traffic injuries.

It's an old joke among new parents in Labor and Delivery: How many people did it take to install your car seat? Although the remark elicits chuckles from new moms and dads, using a child safety seat--and using it correctly--is no laughing matter. More children between the ages of one and ten die in automobile crashes than from any other type of injury or disease. In the under-one-year age group, this health risk is second only to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Some physicians, knowing how complicated child safety seats can be to use, may be reluctant to give advice to parents on their use. In addition, the potential liability of dispensing incorrect information may be enough to make some doctors reluctant to do so. However, there are some basic tips that physicians can and should be passing on to parents. Most parents place great trust in their child's physician; asking about the child's transportation and advocating proper child safety seat use is an effective prevention technique.