Child Passenger Safety

Sept. 16, 2009

By Safe Kids USAMore than 260 Safest Generation and Seat Check Saturday events are being held across the country by Safe Kids USA’s coalitions and chapters during Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from Sept. 12 to 18. Child Passenger Safety Week is a nationwide program from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighting the important role of child safety seats in saving the lives of young children.

Preteens are the ‘Safest Generation’

As the first generation of kids to use car seats, booster seats and seat belts consistently, preteens ages 11 and 12 are today’s “Safest Generation” when it comes to vehicle safety.

While being a preteen is all about testing boundaries and learning how to make important decisions, the Safest Generation program provides tools for preteens to use in making responsible safety choices as they become more independent – including choices that could be the difference between life and death.

The Safe Kids’ Safest Generation program uses hands-on activities to help preteens:

• Become more knowledgeable about the newest vehicle safety technologies.
• Receive information that debunks safety myths.
• Learn how to make decisions that could save lives in the event of a crash.

Events held during Child Passenger Safety Week will give preteens the opportunity to complete a course of up to five hands-on activities designed to teach children ages 11 and 12 how to be safer both in and around vehicles.

The Safest Seat is a Back Seat

Research conducted for the Safest Generation program showed that nearly 50 percent of parents surveyed said that it was ok for preteens ages 11 and 12 to sit in the front seat of a vehicle.

Why the back seat?

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under.
• NHTSA found that sitting in a rear seat instead of the front seat reduces fatal injury risk among children 12 and younger by 36 percent.
• Between 1996 and 2002, an estimated 1,700 children’s lives were saved because they were seated in a back seat.

Remember – regardless of why your child wants to sit in the front seat, or why you want them there, all children under age 13 should sit in the back seat.

Find a Safe Kids car seat checkup event near you!

About the Safest Generation program

Safest Generation is the latest program undertaken by Safe Kids Buckle Up, a partnership between Safe Kids USA and General Motors that has been teaching families how to keep kids safer in and around vehicles for more than a decade. As part of the program, a seminar is available for parents to help make sure preteens are safe when riding with friends and neighbors, and to remind them to be a good safety role model whenever they ride in a vehicle.

About Safe Kids Buckle Up

Safe Kids Buckle Up was created by Safe Kids Worldwide and General Motors in 1997 to teach families how to keep children safer in and around vehicles. Nationwide, the program has inspected more than 1.1 million car seats and reached more than 20 million people through hands-on educational activities such as Spot the Tot, Never Leave Your Child Alone, and the Cub Scout Automotive Safety Patch, covering many of the vehicle safety needs for children ages 0 to 12.

Editor’s Note: SPOT THE TOT is a service mark of Primary Children’s Medical Center Foundation.

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Source: USA Safekids