There was a lot hoopla this summer over the news that some parents had accidentally left children in child seats in the heat although there is technology to remind parents. For National Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 14-20), Safe Kids Worldwide released a study that showed nine out of 10 parents take children out of car booster seats before they are tall enough.
The study was partially funded by the GM Foundation that is committed to its partnership with Safe Kids and sponsoring events this week.
Events include the “National Seat Check Saturday” on Sept. 20, Safe Kids and Chevrolet/GM dealerships and more than 600 events to make sure children are fitted with the proper seat and to check that child safety seats are installed correctly. If parents can’t make an event they can check Safe Kids Worldwide to find a technician.
It turns out seven out of 10 parents do not know a child should be at least 57 inches (4-foot-9-inches) tall to ride in a car without a booster seat. The child should also weigh between 80-100 pounds.
The study is based on a national online survey of 1,000 parents of children ages 4 to 10.
Although seat belts are safer than nothing at all, children who should be in booster seats but wear only seat belts are at risk of severe abdominal, head and spinal injuries in the event of a crash. Booster seats can reduce the risk of serious injury by45 percent compared
to seat belts alone.
One in five parents whose children carpool say they “bend the rules” when driving, letting children ride without seat belts and without the
car seat or booster seat they would normally use