Did you know that the leading cause of death for a child is a motor vehicle crash?
This week (Sept. 19-25) is Child Passenger Safety Week - an annual campaign to educate the public about the importance of child safety seats - and several organizations are doing their part to help improve the safety of children in automobiles. If you’re a parent or a caregiver of a youngster, there are some of the great resources available to you this Child Passenger Safety Week. Please pass this info along to anyone else you think might need it.
Sobering Stats
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an average of four kids aged 14 and under die in car crashes every day, while an additional five hundred plus are injured. NHTSA also suggests that as many as 75 percent of car seats on the road today are not properly installed.
Improving the Odds
Child Passenger Safety Week kicked off on September 19 and runs through September 25 with “National Seat Check Saturday.” For “National Seat Check Saturday,” certified safety technicians will provide free child safety seat inspections at various locations nationwide. Between 1975 and 2008, nearly 9,000 children were saved because a child restraint was used, and those taking part in Child Passenger Safety Week are taking steps to improve that statistic even more.
Mitsubishi Motors is one of the organizations taking part in the effort. The automaker has partnered with non-profit organization, Kids Safety First, and Dorel Juvenile Group USA, a leading car seat manufacturer and a division of Dorel Industries Inc., to educate parents about car seat safety and installation. Child safety seat checks will be hosted at 13 Mitsubishi dealerships in seven states — Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Texas — where families can receive hands-on instruction for selecting, installing and using child restraint systems. Click here for event locations, dates and times and find out more about the program.
General Motors also is looking to have a positive impact on child passenger safety. GM has had a partnership with Safe Kids Buckle Up program since 1997. In the last 13 years, Safe Kids USA and GM have:
- Inspected 1.28 million and donated more than 457,000 car seats.
- Held approximately 65,000 car seat check up events.
- Educated more than 21 million parents and caregivers on the proper installation and use of safety seats for children.
As part of the Safe Kids Buckle Up program, GM and Safe Kids USA will be hosting various car seat check-up events all over the country, including at a number of GM dealerships. To find an inspection station near you, visit www.safekids.org.
Protect Your Kids in the Car | More Child Passenger Safety Week Resources