NHTSA highlights seat belts and car seats during Child Passenger Safety Week

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
19 September 2016

NHTSA 23-16

^{Child Passenger Safety Week – Sept. 18-24 – highlights the importance of buckling kids up, and National Seat Check Saturday helps parents make sure they are used correctly}

WASHINGTON – As Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 18-24) kicks off, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging the public to make sure children are properly buckled up in the correct car seat for their size and age.

“Risking the safety of future generations by letting children ride unrestrained is not acceptable,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Seat belts and car seats save lives, and need to be used on every trip.”

The just-released NHTSA 2015 National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats shows 37.4 percent of children ages 4 to 7 in the United States were not being properly restrained. Of that number, 25.8 percent were restrained by seat belts and 11.6 percent were unrestrained. 13.6 percent of children from 1 to 3 years old were prematurely transitioned to booster seats, a significant increase from the prior year.

Hispanic and African American children tended to have lower restraint use. Restraint use in the Hispanic 1 to 12 year old age group was lower than the national average, and non-Hispanic African American children 8 to 12 years old had the lowest restraint use across all age groups at 72.4 percent

“When children are not buckled up or are riding in a seat that isn’t used correctly, their safety is in jeopardy,” said NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind. “You can act by making sure your kids are buckled up and in the right car seats for their age and size. This week, and on National Seat Check Saturday, free public events will be held across the country. Help keep them safe, today and every day by attending a car seat inspection event near you.”

During Child Passenger Safety Week and National Seat Check Saturday (Sept. 24), hundreds of safety events will be held across the U.S. Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be on the ground to check car seats, educate parents and caregivers about proper installation and will help consumers register their car seats to ensure they will be notified in case of a recall.

Additional information on seat check events, how to find the right car seat, and how to install and register them for recalls is available here.

A video news release on Child Passenger Safety Week can also be viewed here.

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