Child traffic deaths drop 43 percent over decade

ATLANTA (AP) A new report shows fewer children are dying in traffic accidents, and officials say that's because more young kids are buckled up.

Over a decade, the number of children 12 and under who died in crashes dropped by 43 percent. Health officials say increased use of car seats and booster seats drove the decline.

Still, a third of the 650 children who died in 2011 were not buckled up. That was the case in almost half of the black and Hispanic deaths compared to a quarter of white deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report on Tuesday.