Report: Accidents Are Leading Cause Of Child Deaths

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The state's Child Death Review is releasing its report on 409 child deaths for 2005 in which it found auto accidents were the leading cause of death for children.<br/><br/>The

Thursday, November 16th 2006, 2:26 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The state's Child Death Review is releasing its report on 409 child deaths for 2005 in which it found auto accidents were the leading cause of death for children.

The report says 115 children died in auto accidents -- just over 28 percent of all child deaths the board reviewed.

The report calls for mandatory sobriety testing of all drivers involved in accidents in which a child is killed or critically injured and enforcement of child passenger safety restraint laws.

The report also found 57 children died as a result of unsafe sleeping practices. 40 of those deaths were attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Another 31 children died from drowning and nine died in fires.

The report now goes to the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth and to various state agencies.