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Protect Your Children - Buckle Up!

28 January 1998

Protect Your Children - Buckle Up!

    COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 28 -- As part of National Child
Passenger Safety Awareness Week (February 8-14), the Coalition for Vehicle
Choice is urging parents to double-check that their children are buckled up
safely when riding in all cars and trucks.  The number one rule to remember is
that children 12 and under and particularly infants, should always be properly
secured in the BACK SEAT -- the safest place for all children to ride.
    All 50 states require the use of child safety seats and safety belts for
young passengers, and with that, usage has increased dramatically over the
past 15 years.  Yet motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death
among children.  Safety belts and child safety seats, when properly used, can
reduce the risk of fatal injury by more than half.  Hundreds of deaths and
serious injuries could be prevented each year, if all children were properly
protected and secured.
    Also, with the rising numbers of passenger side air bags, the need to
buckle both infants and children in the rear seat has become a necessity.  Air
bag deployments can cause injuries to any child, whether they are in a child
seat or not.
    "Parents and other drivers need to recognize the importance of using
safety seats and safety belts for children on each and every trip, no matter
how short it may be," said Jim Underwood, state coordinator for the Coalition
for Vehicle Choice.  "And while the natural tendency for parents is to have
their children buckled in the front seat -- in order to keep their eyes on
them, that practice can have disastrous effects."
    To make sure you get the most protection for your child, consider these
additional child safety tips:

    * Make sure the child seat is properly anchored in the vehicle and that
      the child is snugly buckled into the seat.
    * Infants under one year of age should be transported in "infant seats"
      that face the rear of the vehicle and are properly secured in the BACK
      SEAT of the vehicle.  Never use infant seats in the front seat.
    * Children aged 1-4 should be carried in "toddler seats" which are
      installed facing forward in the BACK SEAT.  Larger children in that age
      range may be able to use "booster seats" which work in conjunction with
      the vehicle's safety belts.
    * Older children should use the vehicle's safety belts and should be
      properly secured in the BACK SEAT -- again to protect them from the
      harmful effects of passenger-side air bags.

    Also, parents are reminded to register new child safety seats with the
manufacturer so they can be contacted in the event of a safety recall.  Check
NHTSA's website (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov) for registration forms and instructions.
    "National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week happens only once a year,"
said Jim Underwood, "but child passenger safety should be on all parents minds
whenever they are getting into their car or truck."

SOURCE  Coalition for Vehicle Choice