Grandparents, help protect grandchildren from car crash injuries, a preventable epidemic for American children

Medialink--The holiday season is one of the most heavily traveled times of the year, and car accidents will once again take their toll - particularly on children, the most defenseless of passengers.

Car crash injury is the leading epidemic facing this generation of American children, with approximately 1.5 million children involved in car crashes annually. Crashes result in higher child mortalities than violence, AIDS or cancer, and it is estimated as many as 130 children could be killed in car crashes during this holiday season, with many more being seriously injured.

Fortunately, research from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - a pioneer in eradicating childhood epidemics and home to the world's largest ongoing study on children in crashes - indicates that seating children under 13 in age-appropriate car seating can reduce children's risk of injury to less than 2 percent.

Because cars are primarily designed to protect average-sized male adults, devices like seat belts and airbags can cause serious or fatal injury to children. By buckling children into car seats and seatbelts, as mandated by law in all 50 states, heartbreaking injuries and fatalities can be significantly reduced.