On board with safety planning.
As a first time grandmother to be, I have been helping my daughter and son-n-law with planning for the arrival of our newest family member. Safety preparation has been a hot topic for our family as my daughter's delivery date nears!
Every 33 seconds a child under 13 is involved in a car crash in the United States. For younger children, car seats can dramatically reduce the risk of fatality or injury – but over half of car seats are either installed or used incorrectly. For older children, buckling up is critical. A full 50% of children age 8-14 who were killed in car crashes from 2011-2015 were not restrained.
Every 33 seconds a child under 13 is involved in a car crash in the United States. For younger children, car seats can dramatically reduce the risk of fatality or injury – but over half of car seats are either installed or used incorrectly. For older children, buckling up is critical. A full 50% of children age 8-14 who were killed in car crashes from 2011-2015 were not restrained.
That’s why we want parents and caregivers to know about the importance of making sure their child is safely restrained—whether that’s selecting the right car seat for their child’s age and size, or making sure that older kids (8-14) always buckle their seat belts and sit in the backseat.
As parents, we all want to do the right thing to keep our children safe and sound. This spring, the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are unveiling new PSAs to address these important issues. First, is the up to date car seat safety information like the tips found in the fun new video series “The Wide World of Car Seats.”
Car Seat Safety 1st: How Do I Choose?
Remember how you applauded the first time your child wrote their name independently and correctly? I feel parents who do their due diligence and research in finding the right car seat for their child deserve the same praise.
The right car seat can make all the difference in a motor vehicle crash. And car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old. But despite their best intentions, many parents may not realize their child isn’t in the right seat. For example, many parents move their children to the next restraint type (car seat, booster seat, seat belt) too soon. To make sure you have the right seat for your child, visit SaferCar.gov/TheRightSeat.
Tween Seat Safety matters!
And just when you think you’ve got this parenting thing down, your child becomes a “tween” and you enter a whole new world. To help with travel safety, the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are unveiling new PSAs featuring characters from Fox’s upcoming summer road trip adventure Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. The PSAs remind parents and caregivers that even if kids argue and plead, parents should stand firm and always insist that their kids buckle up and sit in the back seat (the safest place for kids under the age of 13).
My step-son loves his collection of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and I knew he'd love watching the PSA's together. I can remind him and his brother to buckle up just like some of their favorite characters!
I've been teaching my boys about seat-belt safety since they first transitioned from their child car seats to booster seats. Both my 15 year-old and 11 year-old are programmed to buckle up from the moment they're seated in the car. I'm lucky that they automatically do it and I rarely have to remind them - but I still check to make sure their buckled in before putting the car in drive! It's a rule for all family members and friends to buckle up and there are no exceptions! However, I admit that I can't recall any child challenging me on the buckle up rule!
My oldest (he is 15 and 5' 9") rides in the front with me, but my 11 year-old rides in the back seat. He often mentions that friends his age who are shorter than he is ride in the front seat, but in my car it's my rules and they're not up for negotiation when it comes to safety.
My oldest (he is 15 and 5' 9") rides in the front with me, but my 11 year-old rides in the back seat. He often mentions that friends his age who are shorter than he is ride in the front seat, but in my car it's my rules and they're not up for negotiation when it comes to safety.
Per data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 69,000 tweens are injured every year in car crashes and 61% of 14-year-old children killed in 2015 car crashes were unrestrained at the time of the crash. Even though life as a parent is full of compromises, seat belt safety should never be up for negotiation. That’s why the new PSAs encourage us to: “Never give up until they buckle up!”
For more information or if you need more tips to convince your tween to buckle up, visitSaferCar.gov/KidsBuckleUp. If you have a great tip, join the conversation on social media using: #KidsBuckleUp.
For more information or if you need more tips to convince your tween to buckle up, visitSaferCar.gov/KidsBuckleUp. If you have a great tip, join the conversation on social media using: #KidsBuckleUp.
This is a Bloggin' Mamas campaign, but my thoughts and opinions are shared as I am passionate about car safety and keeping our kids safe.
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