National Child Passenger Safety Week starts this week and ends September 23, National Seat Check Saturday.
Officials said the purpose of the week is to increase awareness about the importance of correctly buckling kids in the right car seats for their age and size.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children. In 2021, 710 children under 13 were killed in passenger vehicles, and more than 100,000 were injured. More than 36% of children under 13 who died while riding in passenger vehicles were unrestrained.
Sharron Rengers is the Child Passenger Safety Coordinator for the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety.
“You don’t wake up in the morning and know you’re gonna have a car crash you know,” said Rengers. “So, you always have to be preventative in all the injuries and especially in the vehicle, and the seat belt is our best line of defense to prevent injury.”
Research from NHTSA shows 46% of car seats are misused, whether that is children being in the wrong type of seat or incorrect installation. Officials said having a professional inspect and check car seats will help avoid improper use.
“There’s people all over the state that can look at people's car seats and make sure that they’re installed correctly and if they want to call 502-629-7337, then I can help them locate them in their area, or our email is ncpw@nortonhealthcare.org and then I can help people find the people that are close to them,” said Rengers.
NHTSA encourages everyone who transports child passengers to check out its online resources for free at www.nhtsa.gov/TheRightSeat.