Study: Kids are Safer Driving with Grandma

The study, published in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics, looked at five years’ worth of data from vehicle accidents that involved a total of 217,976 children younger than 15. By using insurance claim data and data collected via follow-up telephone interviews, researchers calculated the risk of significant child-passenger injury.

The results of the study showed grandparents were 50% less likely to cause significant injury to children in car accidents. The study focused on the relationship between a driver’s age and the proper use of child-safety restraints, and it found that older drivers were less likely to optimally secure children in the restraints. The study found that grandparents were more likely to seat children in the front seats, a riskier spot for younger and lighter passengers against the brunt of a front-passenger airbag.

The study doesn’t give a reason why grandparents offer more protection to children, but it suggests that it might deal with the more cautious driving habits of elderly drivers.