Kids in Cars

Kids in Cars

Robin @ Kids Matter

Cars are an integral tool in our busy lives. But as important as they are, they can still be dangerous. With a little information and a few simple steps, you can keep your children safe and sound in your car from the time they're in their first car seat to the time they get behind the wheel.

The hard facts

Road injuries are the leading cause of preventable deaths and injuries to children in the United States. When correctly used, child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71%. Seat belts saved more than 69,000 lives from 2006 to 2010. Despite this fact, teenagers have the lowest rate of seat belt use. Only 54% of high school students reported always wearing a seat belt when riding with someone else.

Top Tips

•Before you hit the road, check your car seat. 73% of car seats are not used or installed properly. Check out our safety tips below for more information.

•Buy a used car seat only if you know its full crash history. You can buy used car seats from friends and family members, but never from the internet or thrift stores. Once a car seat has been in a crash, it needs to be replaced.

•Never leave your child alone in the car, not even for a minute. The temperature in your car can rise more than 20°and cause heatstroke in the time it takes you to run in and out of the store.

•According to Kentucky law, any child less than 40 inches tall must be in a child or infant seat and any child under age 7, and between 40 and 50 inches, must be in a booster seat. All children over 7 years of age, and over 50 inches tall, must be secured in a seat belt.

Learn more

§  Countdown2Drive: a unique program aimed at creating a conversation between parent and teens with the goal of creating safer passengers today, hopefully resulting in better drivers tomorrow. Call the Safe Kids office at 859-323-1153 if you would like to learn more about this program.

§  Car Seat Inspection Stations: Offered monthly by appointment. Parents and caregivers are paired with a Child Passenger Safety Technician to receive hands-on training and education on the best way to transport children in a car. Contact the Safe Kids office, at 859-323-1153, for additional information or to reserve a time slot.

 

To learn more about safety tips, check out more literature provided by Safe Kids Fayette County.