Chlld car seats have increased dramatically as a safety device in the past five years and today laws require ttiat the safety seats be used in autos licensed in 41 states and the District of Colimibia. Only Utah, Peruisylvania, Vermont, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Texas and Alaska have not passed such laws. These states should keep an active interest in the subject and examine carefully the reports of those which have the program in place. Tennessee was the first to require child car seat use, in 1978. The rapid response of the states in “following suit” seems justified by statistics which brand motor vehicle mishaps as a leading cause of child deaths. In the past decade, more than 7,000 children under age 5 were kllled in auto accidents and another half million were severely injured, many crippled for life. Pedestrian deaths account for half of the fatalities. Utah’s Legislature debated a child safety seat law at its last session. But the Senate and House couldn’t get together on proposed versions. Some lawmakers who favored safety seats nevertheless argued that their use should be on a freedom of choice basis and not mandated by statute. State laws vary. For example, in North Carolina child safety seats are required for children under age 2, but in New York a law by 1988 will require all youngsters under 10 to be restrained by car seats or seat belts. Young chldren are at a much greater risk in auto crashes than the general population because of their size and skeletal development, Charles A. Hurley of the. National Safety Council told the Senate Commerce Committee recently. Highway patrolmen have pointed out from time to time that with a sudden stop as in a collision, a small child can become a human projectile – especially if he happens to be standing – and hits the dashboard or windshield with telling force. A group known as Physicians for Automotive Safety strongly urges proper use of child car seats and wams parents not to hold small children on their laps. There are signs that Congress may consider financial incentives for states with effective car seat laws. Bills have been offered by Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo. and Reps. Albert Gore, D-Tenn. and Michael D. Bames, D-Md. Any state considering a new law or revision of an existing one naturally wants assurance on what the measure will accomplish. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Safety Council claim proper use of child safety seats in autos is 90 percent effective in preventing death and 67 percent effective in safeguarding against serious injuries. Such impressive figures are hard to ignore.