Drivers place children in rear seat because of new law

A Rhode Island law that requires that children sit in the back and wear proper restraints imposes fines of $30 for violation of the rear seating requirement and $150 for violation of the restraint requirement. The law was passed after research by Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Director John Graham and others showed that, nationwide, children aged 12 and under are 35 percent less likely to die in crashes if they are in the rear seat. Rear seating is even safer if the front seat is equipped with an airbag which, when deployed, can harm younger children. The study found that vehicles were 30 percent less likely to carry a child in the front seat one year after the law took effect compared with seating patterns just after the law was enacted.