National Seat Check Saturday – To help teach parents how to safely install and place their child in car seat and to make sure they have the right size for their child too.

National Seat Check Saturday

We shouldn’t have a day where we check the safety of child seats, but every day. If you are unsure you can always ask your local police department for help. Do not call 911 for this. You can usually go directly to your local police department for a check. (In Most Cases)

This day is held the last Saturday in September. In 2018, that falls on September 29.

Part of this check up is to make sure your car seat is not in a recall either.

National Seat Check Saturday is part of Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from September 23-29, 2018. The week is dedicated to teaching parents and caregivers about the importance of correctly choosing, installing, and using car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. Parents will also be reminded of the importance of registering car seats with their manufacturers so they can be notified in the event of a recall.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, up to the top height and weight allowed by the particular seats. It’s the best way to keep them safe. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, he or she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat, a child should be placed in a booster seat until tall enough to fit in a seat belt properly. The safest place for all kids under 13 is in the back seat.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) primary goal for child passenger safety is to make sure all parents and caregivers are correctly using the right car seats (rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, booster seats) or seat belts for their children’s ages and sizes.

During Child Passenger Safety Week, being held September 23-29, 2018, many communities will have Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians on hand to provide free education on how to use car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. Technicians will help educate consumers about choosing the right car seat for a child, installing that seat correctly in their vehicle, and using that seat correctly every time. They can also discuss the importance of registering that car seat with its manufacturer, and what to expect if the seat is subject to a safety recall. The week concludes with National Seat Check Saturday on September 29, 2018, when Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians across the country will be available at car seat check events to offer advice and instruction to parents and caregivers.

Lives lost and injuries

• Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children.
• Every 33 seconds in 2016, one child under the age of 13 was involved in a crash.
• From 2012 to 2016, there were 3,268 children under 13 killed while riding in passenger vehicles. These numbers have been increasing steadily since 2014.
• On average, nearly two children under 13 were killed every day in 2016 while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans.
• From 2012 to 2016, there were 1,132 “tweens” (8 to 12 years old) killed in passenger vehicles.
• In 2016, the 8-to-12 age group had the highest number of fatalities (262, or 36%) among children in passenger vehicles, which is an 11-percent increase from 2015. Of those who were killed, almost 50 percent were unbuckled.
• In 2016, over one-third (35%) of children under 13 killed in passenger vehicles were not restrained in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts.
• Statistically, more crashes occur during “school hours” (during the day, Monday through Friday).

Car seats, booster seats, and seat belts save lives

• In 2016, among children under 5, car seats saved an estimated 328 lives. A total of 370 children could have survived if they had been buckled up 100 percent of the time.

Car seats work best when used correctly

• In passenger cars, car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. For infants and toddlers in light trucks, the corresponding reductions were 58 percent and 59 percent, respectively.
• Most parents are confident that they have correctly installed their child’s car seat, but in most cases (59%) the seat has not been installed correctly.
• According to NHTSA data, in 2015, about 25.8 percent of children 4 to 7 were prematurely moved to seat belts, when they should have been riding in booster seats.

Child passenger safety laws

• For the past 30 years, all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories have had laws requiring children to be secured in the appropriate car seats or booster seats for their ages and sizes while riding in cars.
• States now require children to ride in appropriate car seats or booster seats until as old as age 9.

Remember

• Remember to read and carefully follow the installation instructions included with a car seat, as well as the vehicle owner’s manual. Failure to do this can lead to incorrect installation, exposing a child passenger to the risk of injury or death in a crash.
• All children under 13 should always ride in the back seat.
• Tethers should always be used for forward-facing car seats.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: For children ages 1 to 13, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death. From 2012 to 2016, 3,268 children age 12 and younger were killed in passenger vehicle traffic crashes . The Child Passenger Safety campaign seeks to educate and remind parents and caregivers with children under 12 that car seats, booster seats and seat belts save lives and offer the best protection for children in crashes. Parents should ask themselves “Is my child as safe as possible in the car?” and make sure that their children are riding in the right car seat for their age and size as they grow. The PSAs encourage parents and caregivers with children under 12 to visit NHTSA.gov/TheRightSeat (English-language) or NHTSA.gov/Protegidos (Spanish-language) to find the right car seat for their child’s age and size.

Press Release from NHTSA

About the Author

Steve Patterson

A Christian Blogger that enjoys blogging about the Bible, Theology, God, Jesus Christ, Christian Music, Family, Cats, Odd Holidays, sewing and much more. I have been blogging since 2004, however, I have been blogging on Courageous Christian Father since 2012. I enjoy listening to Christian Music. I am married with 1 daughter, 2 step-sons and a step daughter.

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