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September marks Baby Safety Month and Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 17 – 23) and Chicco has collaborated with AAA to release new research analysis about the importance of car seat safety and passenger restraints. The data revealed nearly half (48%) of children aged 10 and under who were injured and half (51%) who were killed in car crashes were either using a vehicle seatbelt prematurely or no restraint instead of a car seat.

As a Child Passenger Safety Technician with Chicco, my goal is to help parents feel educated and confident in the latest car seat guidelines to best keep their children safe on the road. From choosing the right seat to additional resources – the following is my advice to ensure that parents are using the correct child restraint method for every phase of growth.

·         Don’t skip the booster phase. The data infers that parents may be transitioning their children out of car seats prematurely, based on a sharp decrease (59%) in car seat use from age 7 to age 8, an age that saw significant injuries reported. Many parents may not know that seat belt fit is more about their child’s height than age (many state laws focus on age only), but based on their size, children 10 years old or older may benefit from using a booster seat. Most booster seats accommodate children up to a height of 57 inches.

·         Children should always use a restraint when riding in vehicles. Shifting from a car seat to a vehicle seatbelt too early isn’t the only issue – nearly four in ten (38%) of children aged 7-10 killed in a car accident were completely unrestrained and, of the youngest children (aged 0-3), nearly one in four (24%) who were killed were unrestrained. The use of no restraints, which is defined by this dataset as not using a child car seat booster seat, seatbelt nor strapped into the vehicle in any manner, is alarming. Parents should be diligent in ensuring their child is properly restrained in the car before it is in motion, especially if the child is not old enough to secure themselves.

·         Use available resources. Whether you’re a new parent using a car seat for the first time or navigating the transitional stages as your child grows, proper restraining use of infant seats, booster and seat belts can effectively protect young passengers against injury or fatality. Chicco offers the latest car seat guidelines, installation tutorials and caregiver FAQs on ChiccoUSA.com. Local fire departments often have a Child Passenger Safety Technician on hand who can check if your car seat is installed correctly. For more resources and to find a car seat check near you, visit AAA.com for more.

*Data analyzed AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety on the use of child restraints (car seats, vehicle seatbelts or none) in car crashes, based on 2017 - 2021 crash data sourced from the U.S. Department of Transportation

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About the Writer

Joshua Dilts is a passionate advocate for child passenger safety, serving as a certified Child Safety Technician and a lead car seat product manager at Chicco. A father of three, Josh’s real-life experience provides continued inspiration and motivation for creating solutions that make it easier for families to travel safely with car seats.