National Child Passenger Safety Week Sept. 19-25, 2011

During National Child Passenger Safety Week, we encourage all Portland parents to educate themselves about how to ride with children safely.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2008 there were 4 children under the age of 14 killed in motor vehicle crashes EVERY DAY. This number might seem extremely high, but it’s important to know that use of a safety restraint also saved the lives of an estimated 244 children under age 14 as well.

Use of child safety seats can reduce the risk of injury in children. For infants, they reduce the risk of death by 71% and for toddlers (ages 1-4) they reduce the risk of death by 54%. For children ages 4 to 7, when parents start taking their children out of safety seats, the use of booster seats reduced injuries by 59& when compared to just using safety belts.

Child Safety Reminders:

• Children 12 and under should always ride in the backseat.
• Infants, even in rear-facing car seats, should never ride in the front seat, especially if the car has airbags.
• Until age 1 (or 20 lbs.) a child is best protected in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of the car.
• Until age 4 (or 40 lbs.), a child is best protected in a forward-facing car seat in the back seat of the car.
• Until age 8 (or a height of 4’9”), a child is best protected in a booster seat  in  the back seat until they can ride with the safety belt properly positioned across their chest (with the belt laying across the upper thighs).

For more information about safety procedures and possible risks, visit the Child Passenger Safety: Fact Sheet.