Tips to Keep Kids Safe in Vehicles
September is Child Passenger Safety Month and a new study indicates that some adults are not always making sure children are properly buckled up. Recent findings by Safe Kids Worldwide indicate that one in four respondents admitted to having driven without their child buckled up in a car seat or booster seat. The top reasons were:
- driving a short distance
- in a hurry
- taking the kid(s) on an overnight trip
“Parents or other caregivers may not realize the risks they are taking when children are not buckled up in vehicles, even for short distances,” said Ron Von Haden, CIC, Executive Vice President of the Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin (PIAW). The National Highway Safety Transportation Administration (NHSTA) reports that a third of kids who died in vehicle crashes were not buckled up.
Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death for children. The most recent NHSTA safety statistics show that on a daily basis an average of two children under the age of 13 were killed while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups and vans.
To keep kids safe, experts advise:
- Buckle up kids on every ride, every time.
- Talk to other parents who may be driving your kids about the importance of buckling up.
- Check that the correct child safety seat is being used and is installed correctly.
Using booster seats is especially important for kids who have outgrown their car seats are not ready for a seat belt alone. Generally, kids need to use a booster seat until they are about 4 feet 9 inches tall and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds.
“While older children might try to convince you that they don’t need a booster seat, studies show that children seated in a booster seat are 45% less likely to be injured in a crash than children using a seat belt alone,” noted Von Haden.
If you would like more information about child passenger safety or child safety in general, you can visit the website: http://www.safekids.org./
Another safety consideration families may not consider is to check all of your insurance coverages including auto insurance to be sure you have adequate limits. If you have an accident, your auto insurance policy will help protect you and your family.