(CBS Connecticut) A new study in the journal Pediatrics finds that child traffic deaths from drunk driving are on the decline in recent years but the greatest threat to their safety remains the adults behind the wheel of the car themselves, not strangers in other vehicles.
The study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, found that child traffic deaths caused by drunk driving sharply declined in recent years, the Associated Press reports. But of the 2,344 children under 15 killed in such incidents between 2000 and 2010, about two-thirds were riding in a car with a drunk driver themselves, according to the study.
Most of the adult drivers survived these crashes, suggesting not enough children were wearing seat belts, researchers say.
The study, led by Dr. Kyran Quinlan of Northwestern University and researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed government data on traffic deaths.