2015 Child Passenger Safety Week
Talking Points
Goal
The goal is to make sure all children are secured properly in appropriate car seats and that the car seats are properly installed – every trip, every time. During Child Passenger Safety Week (September 13-19), parents and caregivers are urged to make sure their car seats and booster seats are properly installed.
During Child Passenger Safety Week, [Community Name] will have certified technicians available to provide free, hands-on car seat instruction and advice. The week concludes with National Seat Check Saturday, on September 19. There will be 80 car seat check events across Illinois during Child Passenger Safety Week sponsored by AAA, Illinois Secretary of State, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). [Local Organization] will be on site to offer advice and instruction.
Background
Ø Car seats and booster seats save lives – offering the best protection for children in the event of a crash.
· Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children one through 13 years old based on data collected from the U.S Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
· During the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, 3,335 children under age 13 were killed and an estimated 611,000 children were injured in car crashes.
· Based on NHTSA crash data in 2013, on average, nearly two children under 13 were killed and 345 were injured every day while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups and vans.
· In 2013, over one-third (38%) of children (under 13) killed in car crashes were completely unrestrained – they were not in car seats, booster seats or seat belts.
· Every 34 seconds one child, under age 13, is involved in a crash.
Ø Car seats work best when used correctly.
· Roughly three out of four car seats are not used correctly.
· In 2013, among children under the age of 5 in cars, an estimated 263 lives were saved by restraint use. An additional 55 children could have lived if car seat use was 100 percent.
· Failure to read and carefully follow the installation instructions included with the car seat as well as those in the vehicle owner’s manual can lead to incorrect installation, exposing child passengers to grave risk of serious injury or death in a crash.
· All 50 states, the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories have laws requiring children to be restrained while riding in cars. In Illinois, children are required to ride in an appropriate car seat or booster seat until age eight.
4 Steps to Safety
Ø For maximum child passenger safety protection, parents and caregivers should visit their local inspection station and refer to the following guidelines for determining which restraint system is best suited to protect children based on their age and size:
1. Rear-Facing Seats: In the back seat from birth to the maximum height and weight limit of the seat. Recommended up to two years old, but at a minimum age of one and 20 pounds.
2. Forward-Facing Seats: In the back seat when the child has reached the maximum height or weight limit of the rear-facing seat to about age four and 40-65 pounds.
3. Booster Seats: In the back seat from about age four to at least age eight.
4. Seat Belts: At age eight or older and taller than 4’9’’.
Remember:
· Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size. Choose a seat that fits your vehicle and use it every time.
· According to NHTSA and car seat manufacturers, far too few car seats are being registered. Parents should be reminded to register their car seats, which is quick, free and readily accessible electronically.
· The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and NHTSA both recommend keeping children rear-facing as long as possible up to the top height or weight allowed by their particular seats. Research shows children in the second year of life are five times less likely to die or be seriously injured in a crash if restrained rear-facing compared to forward-facing.
· All child passengers under age 13 should ride securely restrained in the back seat, where they are safest — every trip, every time.
For more information on Child Passenger Safety visit
http://www.nhtsa.gov or www.buckleupillinois.org.