Every year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) partners with local communities to hold Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs this year from September 17-23. The annual safety week always ends with National Seat Check Saturday, a day for parents and caregivers to receive free instruction on how to correctly install and use the right car seats for their kids. The Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force (LPSTF) through Buckle Up Louisiana announced that certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be offering free car seat safety checks and education to parents and caregivers on Saturday, September 23, 2023, beginning at 9:00 AM at the Scott Fire Department located at 129 Lions Club Road in Scott, LA. Technicians will let you know if your children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes, make sure your car seats are installed correctly and explain the importance of registering car seats with the manufacturer so you can be notified if there is a recall.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children, and the latest research from NHTSA shows that 46% of car seats are misused. Common issues are children being in the wrong type of car seat for their age and size, and car seats being installed improperly — both of which leave children vulnerable to injury in a crash. Sadly, two children under 13 were killed every day in 2021 while riding in vehicles, and another estimated 318 were injured. “Most parents are trying to do their best for their kids,” said Ron Czajkowski, Safety Coordinator for the Acadiana Transportation Safety Coalition, “so they may be surprised to find out their kids aren’t as safe as possible in their vehicle. We want caregivers to know that it’s worth finding out for sure.”
National Seat Check Saturday is a yearly opportunity for parents to make sure their children are safe in their car seats and booster seats. “People check their tire pressure and change the oil in their vehicles, but neglect to check the equipment that’s meant to protect their kids in a crash,” Czajkowski added. “Please don’t wait for a crash to happen to find out if your child’s seat is installed correctly. At that point, it’s too late,” he said, “Let a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician check for you so you can have that peace of mind.”
Czajkowski added that using age- and size-appropriate car seats and installing them correctly are the best ways to reduce crash fatalities among children. According to NHTSA, more than a third of children 12 and younger who died in crashes in 2021 in cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs
were unbuckled. “Number one rule: Never let your children ride unbuckled — not even on a short trip.”
“I am proud to partner with Tracy (LeMaire)”, LPSTF Regional Coordinator for our region, said Czajkowski. “She does an outstanding job of training technicians, coordinating safety seat check events, and working with us to promote proper and legal use of child safety seats. Tracy and her fellow certified safety seat techs will be able to conduct a proper check of your safety seat’s installation, and accurately answer all your questions. The best part is this event is open to the public, and there is no charge for these services.”
A Mindset Shift
Raising kids is all about milestones, but one of the most common mistakes parents and caregivers make with car seats is being eager to move their children to the next seat or position before they’re ready. We want to shift the mindset from “Can I move them out of this seat or position yet?” to “How long can they safely stay in this seat or position?” Keep children rear-facing as long as possible, up to the top height or weight allowed by their particular seats. The recommendations are based on decades of research that have shown the safest way for children to ride in vehicles. Once a child outgrows a rear-facing car seat, he or she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness. A forward-facing car seat must always be installed using the seat’s top tether; it keeps the seat from moving forward in a crash. Only after outgrowing the forward-facing car seat — which takes longer than most parents think — a child should be buckled in a booster seat until tall enough to fit in an adult seat belt properly. Booster seats are a critical — but often under-used — step between harness car seats and adult seat belts. If the seat belt doesn’t fit your child correctly, it won’t offer them the optimal protection in a crash. In 2021 alone, the 4- to 7-year-old age group had the highest number of fatalities (246) among children in passenger vehicles, followed by the 8- to 12-year-old age group (241 fatalities).
Once your child is ready to use a seat belt, ensure that it fits correctly and that they wear it correctly; don’t let them slip the shoulder belt behind their back. The safest place for all kids under 13 is buckled up in the back seat.
Bigger Isn’t Safer
You might think that a bigger vehicle offers better protection for your child, but this just isn’t true. In 2021, more than a third (37%) of the children killed while riding in light pickup trucks were unrestrained, followed closely by SUVs (36%), passenger cars (36%), and vans (34%). No matter what type of vehicle you have, children are safest when correctly secured in the right car seats or booster seats for their ages and sizes. The size of your vehicle doesn’t change the fact that all kids need to be properly buckled in the right seat, every trip.
Time Well Spent
[Local community]’s National Seat Check Saturday event is being held at [location] from [time] to [time]. All parents and caregivers are invited to attend this free event. You’ll spend about 30 minutes with a certified expert and leave knowing your kids are as safe as possible on the road.
If Saturday’s times don’t work for your schedule, but you’d still like to have your car seats checked, find out if a technician is available in your community by visiting www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#install-inspection. You can filter your search results by Spanish-speaking technicians, virtual appointments, and Child Passenger Safety Week events.
NHTSA encourages everyone who drives child passengers to check out its free, online resources at www.nhtsa.gov/TheRightSeat. · Car Seat Types: Determine whether your child fits best in a rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, booster seat, or seat belt. · Car Seat Recommendations: Review NHTSA’s recommendations for the best car seat for your child’s age and size. · Find and Compare: Find and compare car seats with NHTSA’s handy car seat finder, which also searches specific brands. · Download NHTSA’s SaferCar app and save your vehicle and car seat info in your “virtual garage.” If any of your saved equipment is included in a safety recall, the app will send you a notification.
For more information on child car seat safety, as well as how to find other car seat check events, go to www.nhtsa.gov/TheRightSeat, or you can reach out to Tracy LeMaire at (337) 288-9937.
