NHTSA Campain Safe & Sober Program Planner 21

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Coming in the National Child Passenger Safety Week 2000 Buckle Up America Planner:

The Deadly Error Many Parents Make in Child Restraint Use

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for all children ages 5-15 (as well as for older teens and young adults), a fact that can be linked at least in part to the reality that as many as nine out of 10 kids are improperly restrained in vehicles.

National Child Passenger Safety Week is February 13-19, 2000. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is producing a Planner with solutions to keep children safe throughout their childhood.

Booster Seats: The Forgotten Step

One of the most common mistakes parents make in restraining children is that they don't understand the need for different stages of child restraint use throughout a child's growth. Since many state laws only cover children through age three, many parents assume older kids are safe in just a seat belt. The message parents need to learn is this: When children outgrow forward facing convertible seats at about age four and 40 pounds, they need to be restrained in belt-positioning booster seats – until they are big enough to properly fit in an adult seat belt.

The statistics are startling. After age four, overall restraint use falls from 87 percent to 68.7 percent. And 52.6 percent of fatally injured children ages four to seven are completely unrestrained. One NHTSA study showed only 6.1 percent of booster-aged children were restrained in a booster seat.

Children outgrow convertible child safety seats when they reach 40 pounds. The new NHTSA Planner will give valuable tips on how to safely restrain children as they grow beyond 40 pounds. The explanation of belt-positioning booster seat use included in the Planner will be lifesaving news that parents everywhere will appreciate.

This quarterly Buckle Up America Planner also includes these easy-to-use tools to help you reach out to parents and caregivers to increase booster seat use:

Drop-in article
Children's activity page
Mini poster
Booster seat mailer
Talking points & tips
Fax-back form

Look for the new NHTSA planner in early January on the NHTSA Web site (go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov and click "What's New" or double-click on the "Buckle Up America" logo), or contact your NHTSA Regional Office (see State and Local Resources for contact information).

The Deadly Error Many Parents Make in Child Restraint Use

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for all children ages 5-15 (as well as for older teens and young adults), a fact that can be linked at least in part to the reality that as many as nine out of 10 kids are improperly restrained in vehicles.

National Child Passenger Safety Week is February 13-19, 2000. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is producing a Planner with solutions to keep children safe throughout their childhood.

Booster Seats: The Forgotten Step

One of the most common mistakes parents make in restraining children is that they don't understand the need for different stages of child restraint use throughout a child's growth. Since many state laws only cover children through age three, many parents assume older kids are safe in just a seat belt. The message parents need to learn is this: When children outgrow forward facing convertible seats at about age four and 40 pounds, they need to be restrained in belt-positioning booster seats – until they are big enough to properly fit in an adult seat belt.

The statistics are startling. After age four, overall restraint use falls from 87 percent to 68.7 percent. And 52.6 percent of fatally injured children ages four to seven are completely unrestrained. One NHTSA study showed only 6.1 percent of booster-aged children were restrained in a booster seat.

Children outgrow convertible child safety seats when they reach 40 pounds. The new NHTSA Planner will give valuable tips on how to safely restrain children as they grow beyond 40 pounds. The explanation of belt-positioning booster seat use included in the Planner will be lifesaving news that parents everywhere will appreciate.

This quarterly Buckle Up America Planner also includes these easy-to-use tools to help you reach out to parents and caregivers to increase booster seat use:

Drop-in article
Children's activity page
Mini poster
Booster seat mailer
Talking points & tips
Fax-back form

Look for the new NHTSA planner in early January on the NHTSA Web site (go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov and click "What's New" or double-click on the "Buckle Up America" logo), or contact your NHTSA Regional Office (see State and Local Resources for contact information).