Making Sure Your Child is Riding Safely on Every Trip

Making Sure Your Child is Riding Safely on Every Trip

September 14-20 is National Child Passenger Safety Week

Every parent wants the best for their child, but when it comes to keeping their child safe in the car, there is often confusion surrounding which car seat is safest and how to use it correctly. The problem is that keeping them safe in vehicles isn’t as easy as it might appear. Nationally, it is reported that 3 out of 4 car seats are not used correctly. For a car seat to best protect your child, it must be the one that fits your child, your vehicle, and that you will use correctly every time you travel. National Child Passenger Safety Week will be celebrated from September 14-20th and provides an opportunity for parents to make sure they are transporting their children safely. This year’s campaign is also putting an emphasis on making sure your car seat is registered so you will be notified of any recalls, as well as stressing the importance of keeping children under 13 riding correctly restrained in the back seat!

Children are at greater risk than adults in a vehicle crash. In fact, motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for children. Crash data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration shows that, on average in 2012, nearly two children under the age of 13 were killed and 332 were injured every day while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans. Unfortunately in 2012, over one third (37%) of children killed in car crashes were not in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts.

Securing your children properly in age- and size-appropriate child safety seats — in the back seat of your vehicle — is the most effective thing you can do to protect them in the event of a crash. In fact, in motor vehicle crashes, child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. Misuse of car seats can cause needless injuries and fatalities.

That’s why Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent Abigail Pritchard is urging all parents and caregivers to take the opportunity to have their car seat inspected by a certified child passenger safety technician. There is no charge for inspections. To locate a certified technician in your area, go to http://buckleup.tamu.edu or to find an event during National Child Passenger Safety Week go to http://seatcheck.org.

For more information about this and other Extension and 4-H programming, contact your friendly, local county Extension agent Abigail Pritchard at 432-943-4112. Information is also available on our website at ward.agrilife.org. We are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wardcounty4h.