It's National Child Passenger Safety Week, with National Seat Check Saturday coming up this Saturday, September 25th. The annual safety effort by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is designed to raise awareness about the importance of finding the right child seat for your child as well as properly installing it. Use the NHTSA search tool here to find a car seat inspection station near you.
It's an important safety issue. NHTSA data shows that crashes are a leading cause of death for children. Here are some latest statistics:
According to the NTHSA, in passenger cars, car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers. For infants and toddlers in light trucks, the corresponding reductions were 58% and 59%, respectively. While most parents are confident that they have correctly installed their child’s car seat, the NHTSA says in most cases (46%), the seat has not been installed correctly.
New research from the American Automobile Association and National Safety Council sheds some additional light on the extent to which parents and caregivers in the U.S. are informed about car seat installation and use.
AAA says according to the National Digital Car Seat Check Form (NDCF) database, more than half of all car seats brought in for inspection to child passenger safety technicians are improperly installed and used. Yet, the general consumer survey revealed only 1 in 5 parents and caregivers seek expert help installing a car seat or securing a child in a car seat.
AAA shares NDCF data that also reveals:
AAA and the NSC recommends Car Seat Basics as a free online course to help participants understand the four stages of child passenger safety, including rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. Participants can complete the full training or select a module on a specific stage of child passenger safety. The course was developed through NSC’s work with NHTSA. For more information on resources, including free car seat inspections at AAA branch offices, visit AAA.com/SafeSeats4Kids.
The NHSTA also provides a number of online resources accessible a the links below: