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Child fatalities in Travis County dropped 12% from 2003 to 2004, according to a new report by the county's Child Fatality Review Team – 123 children died in 2004, down from 140 in 2003. That's "the lowest number since 2000 but only slightly below the average annual total [127] over the last nine years," according to a Travis Co. Center for Child Protection press release. Some other CFRT report findings:

• Most of last year's child fatalities (100) were the result of natural causes. The report identifies prenatal care as an effective way to prevent such deaths.

• Motor vehicle accidents caused the most accidental child deaths in 2004. Of the 10 children killed in such accidents, seven died in automobiles, two in a small airplane accident, and one in an auto-pedestrian collision. Most of the children who died in automobile accidents were riding unrestrained or unprotected.

• Five infants died from asphyxia caused by unsafe sleeping environments; four died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

• Five children were victims of homicide.

• African-American children are at greater risk of death than other local children. African-Americans made up 12% of the county's child population, yet they comprised 22% of all 2004 child fatalities.

The CFRT report's intention is to provide a basis for government policy regarding child safety and to educate the community about child safety patterns and trends. See www.centerforchildprotection.org for the full report.