Child Passenger Safety Week - September 17-23

This is the time to double-check that your children are as safe as possible when they’re riding in your vehicle, and it’s as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Are your children in the right types of seats for their ages and sizes?
2. Do the car seats fit your children properly?
3. Are the seats correctly installed in your vehicle?

Key Statistics from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

• Every day in 2021, on average, two children under 13 were killed in cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans.
  
• A total of 710 children (under 13) were killed in passenger vehicles in 2021, and more than 100,000 were injured.
  
• In 2021, more than a third (36%) of children (under 13) who died while riding in passenger vehicles were unrestrained.
  
• Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children.
  
• Over the 5-year period from 2017-2021, there were 1,753 “tweens” (8 to 14 years old) killed in passenger vehicles.
  
• In 2021 alone, the 4- to 7-year-old age group had the highest number of fatalities (246) among children in passenger vehicles, followed by the 8-to-12 age group (241).
  
• From 2017 to 2021, there were 3,255 children under 13 killed while riding in passenger vehicles. Child crash fatalities decreased every year from 2017 to 2020, but saw an increase in 2021.
  
• Of the children under 13 involved in crashes in 2021, an estimated 14% were injured, which may be an indication of improper car seat or seat belt use.
  
• Children from some minority groups are at greater risk of being unrestrained when killed in traffic crashes: According to 2020 data from NHTSA, 50% of Black children (13 and under) killed in car crashes were unrestrained, followed by Hispanic children (45%). By comparison, white children killed were unrestrained 23% of the time.
  
• In 2021, 37% of the children killed while riding in light pickup trucks were unrestrained, followed closely by SUVs (36%), passenger cars (36%), and vans (34%). Children are safest when secured in the proper car seats or booster seats for their ages and sizes, regardless of the vehicle type.

Child Passenger Safety Seat Check Event

The Statesville Fire Department, in collaboration with the Iredell Partnership for Young Children and Iredell County Safe Kids, will be conducting seat checks at the Statesville Walmart Supercenter from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 20th.

Even if you think you’re good to go, let a Child Passenger Safety Technician help you make sure.