“I don’t need this. My kids always ride in a car seat, and we always use our seatbelts.” Is that what you’re thinking? Our kids’ safety is important. That’s a given for most parents. So we likely feel like we are already doing our best. And you probably are doing your best, and you’re probably doing a really great job! At the same time, we can always learn more, and it should be natural for us to care about children’s safety initiatives like National Child Passenger Safety Week. Whew! That’s a mouthful! But National Child Passenger Safety Week is so helpful and potentially life saving. It’s all about making sure all children are properly secured when in a vehicle. And in reality, many children are not riding securely or safely. So whether your child is in a car seat or using a seat belt, let’s look at ways to keep our kids safe when they’re in the car.
I know it sounds simplistic, but there’s a lot to learn about child passenger safety, so let’s dig in!
The Reality
First, let’s look at why this is even an issue. I mean, there’s a reason that this initiative exists to keep kids safe when they’re in the car.
Did you know that road injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States? Not only a long time ago when we didn’t use child safety restraints, but also currently? It’s a real issue.
Why is this an issue when we’re all using car seats and seat belts? Maybe we aren’t using them correctly. In fact, while an average of 325 children under 5 are saved by using car seats each year, there could be so many more. During 2023, 74% of car seats inspected were not installed properly (according to the National Digital Car Seat Check Form Database). Additionally, many children do not wear seat belts correctly.
So what can we do to make sure we keep our kids safe when they’re in the car?
Install correctly
Well, we can start with our youngest ones by learning how to install our car seats correctly. We’re all a little overwhelmed the first time we need to install a car seat, although the LATCH system has made it so much easier. Still, it helps to make sure we’re doing it correctly. For example, did you know that the seat should not move more than 1 inch in any direction? It should feel like it’s practically glued to the seat.
Restrain correctly
And once we get the car seat installed correctly, we have to learn how to place and tighten the harness so that our children are safe. Personally, I have seen so many friends use the 5-point harness in a dangerous way. So let’s learn how to use the harness correctly so that our children really do stay in the car seat in a crash. And let’s make sure that our harness placement doesn’t cause their little breast bones to break and injure them further. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has detailed instructions for installing a rear-facing car seat and properly using the harness here. And they have instructions for all types of child safety restraints here.
Be consistent
The next thing we can do as parents is to require our kids to use the restraints properly. Our babies might not like the tightened harness, but if we stay strong and do not relent, they will learn to accept it. Our younger kids might not like sitting in a booster seat for so long, but it really does raise them to a place where the seat belt is both doing its job and feeling more comfortable.
If we can teach our kids that this is just how we do it, and it just is what it is, then passenger safety will become normal for them.
Learn sign for car
While we’re learning about child passenger safety, we can learn the sign for car with our kids!
Shows about cars and safety
And to keep getting our kids on board, we have some shows with information about staying safe, like My Neighborhood and Stranger Danger. You can find them in your My Signing Time subscription. Don’t have a subscription? Try one out with a 14-day free trial right here!
Car Seat Inspection Sites
Let’s be willing to learn how to use our car seats and seat belts correctly, and let’s teach our kids to do the same. And if you would like help, see if there is a car seat inspection site near you this week. The technicians are so happy to help you learn about your car seat, and there will be many sites open during National Child Passenger Safety Week. It’s a great resource!