As part of Child Passenger Safety Week, running from September 15-21, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is partnering with local communities to promote child passenger safety. This annual initiative aims to educate parents and caregivers on the critical importance of correctly installing and using car seats.
Why Car Seat Installation is Crucial
Every day in America, millions of parents and caregivers travel to work, school, and other activities with their children. While many of those children are riding in correctly installed car seats for their ages and sizes, nearly half are not. There’s a reason all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories require the use of car seats for children traveling in motor vehicles: car seats, booster seats, and seat belts reduce crash fatalities among children. Car seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71% for infants (under 1 year old) and by 54% for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Ensuring that children are correctly buckled in the right seat for their ages and sizes can mean the difference between life and death.
Just like drivers check their vehicle’s oil and tires, everyone who drives children needs to check their car seats to make sure they’re appropriate for your child’s age and size. Sometimes as parents, we don’t know what we don’t know. Even for experienced parents who think their children are all set, Child Passenger Safety Week is a great time to double-check.
The statistics are sobering. According to NHTSA, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children. In 2022 alone, an average of three children aged 14 and younger were killed daily in crashes, with another 429 injured. Alarmingly, more than a third (39%) of children in this age group who died in crashes were unbuckled at the time. For child passengers in pickup trucks, this figure jumps to over half (52%).
The Right Seat for Every Age
Child safety in vehicles is about more than just buckling up — it’s about making sure children are in the correct seat for their age, size, and developmental stage. From rear-facing car seats for infants to seat belts for older children and teens, every stage requires the right seat and proper installation. Children should remain in each seat type until they outgrow its limits, and all children under 13 should always ride in the back seat.
NHTSA.gov also has free resources available to caregivers. Learn about the different car seat types, read NHTSA’s research-based recommendations, and find and compare car seats.
Stay Informed and Keep Your Child Safe
To stay updated on any recalls affecting your car seats, register them with the manufacturer. You can also download NHTSA’s SaferCar app, which allows you to save your vehicle, car seat, and tire information in a virtual garage. The app will notify you if any of your equipment is recalled.
The Process: Follow these steps to help you through the process of finding the right car seat, installing it correctly, and keeping your child safe.
Find the right car seat
- Learn about the four car seat types
- Follow NHTSA’s car seat recommendations based on your child’s age and size
- Find and compare car seats and ease-of-use-ratings using NHTSA’s Car Seat Finder
Install your car seat correctly
- Understand the parts and tips used for installation
- Follow our detailed car seat installation instructions and videos
- Get your car seat inspected at a station nearest you
Keep your child safe in a car seat
- Register your car seat and sign up for recall notices to receive safety updates