the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The law was associated with an 18% decrease The law was associated with an 18% decrease in the connet number of traffic injuries among children ages 4 through 6, who were the targets of the new law, according to Kainan Sun, PhD, and colleagues at the New York State Department of Health, in Albany.

The decline was almost entirely attributable to an increase in the use of booster seats after the 2005 passage of the law, Sun and colleagues said online in Pediatrics.

At the same time, there was no effect on the injury rate among children ages 0 through 3, who were not directly affected by the new law, Sun and colleagues reported.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children ages 4 through 6, the researchers noted, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends belt-positioning booster seats connet when children no longer fit forward-facing child safety seats.