Injuries from car accidents are the most common cause of injury and death among children. The use of appropriate car safety seats significantly increase the chance of small children surviving a serious car accident, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Despite federal child safety seat standards, the list of child restraint recalls is long.

A new concern with child safety seats is their inadequacy for accommodating heavier children. Parents may be forced to move their children into booster seats, or just ordinary seat belts, because the child cannot fit in the age-appropriate seat.

Spinal cord injuries in children are most commonly produced from car accidents where the child was wearing an ill-fitted seatbelt. A spinal cord injury leads to a loss of mobility or feeling below the level of injury. Spinal cord injuries are typically caused by trauma from car accidents, gunshots, or falls.