Make Every Ride a Safe Ride

A red icon of a child in a car seat and an adult both wearing seatbelts in front of a faded yellow or off white background. Small red text above and below the icon. A small red logo appears on the right of the text below the icon.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization committing to the health and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. The AAP was established in 1930 by 35 pediatricians. It first served as an independent forum addressing children’s health needs. At that time, it was discovered that children had unique developmental and health needs, so the organization developed special practices to change the custom of treating children as “miniature adults.”

The AAP became involved in motor vehicle safety to support safety for children and adolescents of all ages during all kinds of travel. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of children at least four years old. The increased use of child restraint systems and improved vehicle crashworthiness helped to reduce death. Public education programs and enhancements to child restraint laws led to a major shift in child restraint use, including the use of booster seats among older children. The AAP supports recommendations in the best practices to optimize safety in passenger vehicles for all children from birth to adolescence.