MS Highway Patrol Encourages Parents to Properly Restrain Children in Car

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children, with Mississippi leading with the highest fatility rate in the United States, according to IIHS. Child Passenger Safety Week is recognized each year during the third week of September and is aimed at educating parents on ways to help prevent tragedies from happening.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop C Enforcement Division posted the following on their Facebook page:

"The Mississippi Highway Patrol is committed to ensuring highway safety and significantly protecting child safety. Please make sure that your child is appropriately restrained prior to travel."

Child Passenger Safety Week: September 15-21

MS Hwy Patrol Encourages Car SafetyPhoto byMS HP Troop C

According to data from the National Department of Transportation, an average of 3 children were killed and an estimated 445 children were injured every day in traffic crashes in 2021.

The data also shows that of the 863 children killed in car crashes, 40% were unrestrained. According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, simply buckling up your child could save hundreds of lives each year.

According to to the MDOT website:

SEAT BELTS/OCCUPANT PROTECTION

• Statistically, 1 out of 2 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in Mississippi are not buckled up.
• Teenage drivers and passengers are among those least likely to wear their seat belts.
• Nationally, 90.1% of Americans wear their seat belts. In Mississippi, that number is only 77.9%. which puts us among some of the lowest seat belt use rates in the nation.
• Nationally, seat belts saved 13,941 lives of people aged 5 and older in 2015. Child Restraints saved another 266 children ages 4 and younger during that time.
• In Mississippi, seat belts saved 296 lives in 2015. If 100% of vehicle occupants buckled up, another 121 lives would have been saved.

According to NCS, the following are Tips on Child Passenger Safety

● Read the NSC position statement on child restraints, which addresses child passenger safety among multiple modes of transportation

● Take advantage of car seat safety checks held nationwide during National Child Passenger Safety Week

● If you're pregnant, schedule a car seat installation with a certified child passenger safety technician before the child is born

● Children should ride in the back seat at least through age 12

● If your kids complain about wearing seat belts, don't negotiate; don't drive off until they buckle up

● Always be consistent and wear your seat belt; driver safety belt use strongly influences whether your child will buckle up

● All 50 states require child seats with specific criteria; here is a list of child passenger safety laws by state, but too often, state laws don't go far enough

● The life of a car seat typically ranges from six to 10 years; be sure to identify the expiration date set by the manufacturer of the seat being used

● Recalls for child seat manufacturers for the past 10 years can be found here

● Air bags can save the lives of older children and adults, but they can be fatal for young children when not seated correctly, particularly in the front seat; never place a rear-facing car seat in a front seat near an air bag

● Always read instructions provided by the vehicle and car seat manufacturers for properly securing children in all seating positions.