Since we are very concerned with car seat safety here at Babygizmo.com, we wanted to take the opportunity to spread the word about Child Passenger Safety Week (September 21-27). The devastating fact that three out of four child safety seats are improperly installed in vehicles (according to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) should have us all sit up and take notice.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research, 8,325 lives of children under age 5 have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 30 years. In 2006, among children under 5, an estimated 425 lives were saved by child restraint use. Research shows that child restraints provide the best protection for all children up to age 8; after age 8 seat belts provide the best protection.

As a CPS Tech (Child Passenger Safety Technician), I believe it's the responsibility of every parent and caregiver out there to make sure their children are safely restrained - every trip, every time. We are urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes.

Click here to find the Safe Kids Seat Check Event in your area.

Since we think the experts say it best, Safe Kids USA has a great chart with easy to follow information in four basic steps for child passenger safety:
http://www.usa.safekids.org/skbu/cps/index.html

*Safe Kids USA is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under.

Here are some great tips from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention):

What You Can Do To Keep Your Child Safe:

• Seat all children ages 12 and younger in the back seat and be sure they are properly restrained every time they ride with you, even during those quick trips to the corner market. The resources below can help you find more detailed information about proper restraints including rear-facing seats, forward-facing seats, and booster seats.
• Read both your car (or booster) seat instruction manual and your vehicle owner's manual to make sure you are properly installing and using the seat. One study found that 73% of nearly 3,500 observed child restraint systems were misused in a way that could increase a child's risk of injury during a crash.
• Send in your car seat registration card so that the manufacturer can contact you about any recalls. You can also call the NHTSA Auto Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236 to find out about recalls.
• Replace any car seat that was used during a motor vehicle crash.

For more great information from the CDC visit:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/spotlite/chldseat.htm