Child Passenger Safety Week
Family road trips these days are a far cry from what they used to be. For one thing, in many cars, games of “Slug Bug” and “I Spy” have been replaced with kids whiling away the hours watching movies and playing video games. But a more important development is that kids now are safer then ever when travelling in motor vehicles. A big reason for this is stricter child passenger safety regulations.
Placing your children in age- and size-appropriate car and booster seats whenever you are in the car reduces serious and fatal injuries by more than half. The problem is, even though parents want to do what is best for their child’s safety, the majority of child safety seats are installed incorrectly or otherwise misused.
Child Passenger Safety Week (September 21-27) presents the perfect opportunity for parents to confirm that they are using their car safety seats correctly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made this easier than ever by offering a simple web tool that folks can use to find the Child Safety Seat Inspection Station closest to their home or office.
CDC is helping to spotlight this issue with a podcast on the importance of using child safety seats properly, as well as a Notice to Readers in a recent issue of MMWR. We’ve also provided information for parents on how to choose and use a child safety seat.
If you are the parent of a young child, take some time today to make sure you are keeping your child as safe as possible when on the road, and encourage friends and family members to do the same.
Posted by: Ileana Arias, Tuesday, Sep 22, 03:30 pm ETT
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
4770 Buford Hwy, NE
MS F-63
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348
24 Hours/Every Day - cdcinfo@cdc.gov
