5. Fatally Injured Children (Under Age 16)

As shown in table 30, a total of 2,570 children under the age of 16 were fatally injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2003. About 22 percent of them (552/2,570) were killed in alcohol-related crashes. A large proportion of these fatalities occurred in crashes where the highest BAC in the crash was .08 or higher.

Table 30: Children (Under Age 16) Killed in Fatal Crashes by Age and
Highest BAC in Crash, 2003

Age
Total
BAC=0
BAC=.01-.07
BAC=.08+
Alcohol-Related
Number Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Under 1
130
102
79%
3
2%
25
19%
28
22%
1-3
364
294
81%
9
3%
60
17%
70
19%
4-7
472
385
82%
17
4%
70
15%
87
18%
8-15
1,604
1,236
77%
75
5%
293
18%
368
23%
Total
2,570
2,018
79%
104
4%
448
17%
552
22%
Source: NCSA FARS 2003 ARF.
Note: Numbers and percentages may not add to total due to independent rounding.


Table 31 depicts the role of the 552 children fatally injured in alcohol-related crashes. Almost three-fourths of children killed in alcohol-related crashes were passengers, 20 percent were nonoccupants and 7 percent were drivers.

Table 31: Role of Children Killed in Alcohol-Related Crashes, 2003

Role
Fatalities
Percent
Driver
41
7.4%
Passenger
401
72.6%
Nonoccupant
110
19.9%
Total
552
100%
Source: NCSA FARS 2003 ARF

 

Table 32 depicts the alcohol involvement of the drivers with whom the 401 fatally injured children were riding.

Table 32: Children Who Are Passengers Killed in Alcohol-Related Crashes by the Alcohol Involvement of Driver, 2003

Role
Fatalities
Percent
Riding w/ Driver Who Had Alcohol
264
65.8%
Riding w/ Driver Who Had No Alcohol
130
32.4%
Others*
8
2.0%
Total
401
100%
*Motorcycle Riders, etc.
Source: NCSA FARS 2003 ARF

As seen in Table 32, about two-thirds of the children killed in alcohol-related crashes were riding with a driver who had alcohol.
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