New Report: The majority of child deaths from vehicle collisions avoidable

A new report from the Virginia Department of Health present that most motor vehicle accidents that result in child deaths occur during the day, on dry roads during clear weather conditions.

The report also found that 56% of all children were not wearing some form of safety restraint equipment at the time of the accident compared to a statewide average of 30% for all motor vehicle occupants.

Additional findings in the report were:

• 26% of accidents reviewed by the team involved alcohol or drug use and 46% of the collisions involved drivers under 18-years-old
• 60% or more of all fatal accidents that involved children during the day and in 75% of those instances, the roads were dry and the weather was clear
• 80% of children under the age of 2 were killed as pedestrians playing in a private setting such as a driveway