In case anyone is interested, here is the actual abstract from today's new AAP journal article about the new RFing recs. The article was published in today's journal, but I don't think it's been released in its entirety for the public. My DH (who is a doctor) forwarded me the entire PDF. I don't know when or if it will be available on their website. I'd post the entire article, but it has graphs and charts and won't copy and paste well.
abstract
Child passenger safety has dramatically evolved over the past decade;
however, motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading
cause of death of children 4 years and older. This policy statement
provides 4 evidence-based recommendations for best practices in
the choice of a child restraint system to optimize safety in passenger
vehicles for children from birth through adolescence: (1) rearfacing
car safety seats for most infants up to 2 years of age; (2)
forward-facing car safety seats for most children through 4 years
of age; (3) belt-positioning booster seats for most children through
8 years of age; and (4) lap-and-shoulder seat belts for all who have
outgrown booster seats. In addition, a fifth evidence-based recommendation
is for all children younger than 13 years to ride in the
rear seats of vehicles. It is important to note that every transition is
associated with some decrease in protection; therefore, parents
should be encouraged to delay these transitions for as long as
possible. These recommendations are presented in the form of an
algorithm that is intended to facilitate implementation of the recommendations
by pediatricians to their patients and families and
should cover most situations that pediatricians will encounter in
practice. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges all pediatricians
to know and promote these recommendations as part of child
passenger safety anticipatory guidance at every health-supervision
visit. Pediatrics 2011;127:788?793
Improved vehicle crashworthiness and greater use of child restraint
systems have significantly affected the safety of children in automobiles.
Major shifts in child restraint use, particularly the use of booster
seats among older children, have occurred in response to public education
programs and enhancements to child restraint laws in nearly
every state.1?3 In addition, there has been a substantial increase in
scientific evidence on which to base recommendations for best practices
in child passenger safety. Current estimates of child restraint
effectiveness indicate that child safety seats reduce the risk of injury
by 71% to 82%4,5 and reduce the risk of death by 28% when compared
with those for children of similar ages in seat belts.6 Booster seats
reduce the risk of nonfatal injury among 4- to 8-year-olds by 45%
compared with seat belts.7 Despite this progress, approximately
1500 children younger than 16 years die in motor vehicle crashes
each year in the United States, nearly half of whom were completely
unrestrained.8
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly supports optimal safety for children and adolescents of all ages during all forms of travel.
Re: Here is the abstract from the new AAP journal article on RFing
Pull up some of the Youtube videos and make him watch - he'll be singing a different tune. The 'convenience' is just not worth it IMO.