Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) joins with  the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to promote Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs this year from September 17-23.

“Our most important responsibility as parents is to keep our kids safe,” said DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore.  Securing your child in an appropriate child safety seat every trip can be a lifesaving action for our most precious gifts.”

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children, and the latest research from NHTSA shows that 46% of car seats are misused. Common issues are children being in the wrong type of car seat for their age and size, and car seats being installed improperly — both of which leave children vulnerable to injury in a crash. Sadly, two children under 13 were killed every day in 2021 while riding in vehicles, and another estimated 318 were injured

Commissioner Moore added that using age- and size-appropriate car seats and installing them correctly are the best ways to reduce crash fatalities among children. According to NHTSA, more than a third of children 12 and younger who died in crashes in 2021 in cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs were unbuckled.

Once your child is ready to use a seat belt, ensure that it fits correctly and that they wear it correctly; don’t let them slip the shoulder belt behind their back. The safest place for all kids under 13 is buckled up in the back seat.

For more information on child car seat safety, as well as how to find car seat check events, go to www.nhtsa.gov/TheRightSeat.  Please visit the DDS website at www.dds.georgia.gov for complete driver testing and issuance information.