Improper Safety Seats, Put Children at Great Risk
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children. In 2015, 1,346 children under age 15 were killed in motor vehicle crashes. That's more than three children every day.
Properly securing children in safety seats goes a long way in keeping them safer. NSC believes child restraint systems should go beyond state requirements, because too often state laws are no match for the laws of physics.
Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 17-23, 2017
To generate awareness about child passenger safety in your community, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has created a toolkit of free materials you can download and share with parents and caregivers.
Child Passenger Safety Week culminates with National Seat Check Saturday on Sept. 23. Certified child passenger safety technicians will be available at car seat events nationwide to provide safety tips and car seat installation instructions to parents and caregivers.
Tips on Child Passenger Safety
Read the NSC position statement on child restraints, which addresses child passenger safety among multiple modes of transportation
Take advantage of car seat safety checks held nationwide during National Child Passenger Safety Week
- If you're pregnant, schedule a car seat installation with a certified child passenger safety technician before the child is born
- Children should ride in the back seat at least through age 12
- If your kids complain about wearing seat belts, don't negotiate; don't drive off until they buckle up
- Always be consistent and wear your seat belt; driver safety belt use strongly influences whether your child will buckle up
- All 50 states require child seats with specific criteria; here is a list of child passenger safety laws by state, but too often, state laws don't go far enough
- The life of a car seat is from six to eight years; recalls for child seat manufacturers for the past 10 years can be found here
- Air bags can save the lives of older children and adults, but they can be fatal for young children
