Did you know that every 33 seconds a child under 13 is involved in a car crash in the United States? That probably isn’t the first thing you think about when you are hauling your kids to school, the grocery store, or anywhere else around town. And really, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not your child is safely snuggled into the right car seat every time you get in the car. Instead, make sure your child is in the right seat from the get-go.
With so many issues in the world, the last thing all of us want to be thinking about is our car seat. Did you know that many people even have issues installing them correctly or that some vehicles fit certain car seats better than others? For things like this, it is great to have an expert available!
Child Passenger Safety Week (September 17-23, 2017) is a great time to brush up on car seat safety tips and make sure your child is in the right seat, with the right fit and installation.
During Child Passenger Safety Week, more than 1000 events are expected in 45 states across the country to raise awareness for proper car seat installation and usage. The week culminates in “Seat Check Saturday,” where Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will help parents and caregivers make sure their car seats are installed correctly. In most cases, this service is FREE.
When it comes to car seat, everyone knows there are a lot of options out there and it can be overwhelming not just for first time parents, but grandparents and other family members. To make things more helpful for everyone, NHTSA has fantastic resources, such as NHTSA.gov/TheRightSeat, which has videos about how to install car seats and booster seats correctly and guides to picking the right seat by age and size. In other words, it has everything you need for picking the right seat!
To make sure you have the right seat for your child, visit NHTSA.gov/TheRightSeat, or find a Child Passenger Safety Week event in your area. During Child Passenger Safety Week, many communities will have Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians on-hand to provide education on how to use car seats, booster seats, and seat belts for children. To find events near you, including free car seat checks, visit bit.ly/CPSTech.
*According to 2015 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
It is very important to make sure your car seat is fastened correctly and safe. We usually bring ours by the fire department to check.
thank you for sharing this
sor entered before i was done tuyping. too manyu are unaware on how to prevent so many injuries and deaths.
We were always strict with our little ones and putting them in a car seat. You can never take a chance.
It’s really scarey to think that crashes happen every 33 seconds. The right car seat for children is important, but maybe driver’s ed should be updated as well. Something has to change because the roads get more and more crazy with time.
car seat safety is very important. we are always trying to make sure our kids are safe.
It’s so sad that people wouldn’t take the safety of children seriously.
I am a believer in car seat safety. I will do anything to keep my kids safe.
I do not have kids, mine are fur babies, but this is good to know. Will share with my friends.
I wish it was a year long safety promotion. It’s just so important to have kids in car seats.
It is so important that our children have the right car seat and that we use them properly. This is a great article we all should read. Thank you so much for sharing
Great info!
Until I had a kid, I didn’t realize how many things there were to think about with carseats. It’s intimidating!
When my daughter was still in car seats, our local Sheriffs Department invited the public to stop by the office and have a deputy install the seat in your car. Of course I took advantage of this. They’re very happy to do it for you to help keep your kids safe!
So hard when you’re first learning how to put them in the car! Of course after a while it’s second nature 🙂
SO important!! Also make you you have the seat correctly installed and correctly positioned on your child!! Its painful the amount of children I see not strapped in correctly!