JACKSON, Miss.–Every 34 seconds one child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash. If you’re a parent, that stat should be enough to make you take a second look at how your child is being strapped in. This week is Child Passenger Safety Week and it’s a good time to refresh yourself on how to keep your kids safe in the car.
Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children, said a news release from the Mississippi Dept. of Transportation. In 2013 alone, 126,000 children under the age of 13 were injured as passengers in car crashes across the country.
For children under the age of 5, an estimated 263 lives were saved by child restraints. However, 637 more children could have lived if all of these children had been restrained correctly, said MDOT.
This Child Passenger Safety Week, MDOT offers the following safety tips for drivers:
- Ensure that all passengers are correctly buckled—every time.
- All children under age 13 should always ride in the backseat.
- Follow car seat installation instructions to ensure that the car seat is installed correctly.
- Consider the child’s age and weight when selecting which type of safety restraint is needed (rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, booster seat, or seat belt).
For more information regarding traffic safety including safe driving tips geared towards teens, parents and educators visitwww.GoMDOT.com/safetyeducation.
