Children outgrow clothes, toys and even their favorite TV shows amazingly
fast. But one thing they never outgrow is the need to be protected while
riding in a motor vehicle. Traffic crashes are the number one killer of
children ages 4 to 14, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety
Administration (NHTSA).
During this year’s “National Child Passenger Safety Week” (Sept. 16-22),
child safety experts and law enforcement officers will emphasize to parents,
grandparents and other adults responsible for transporting youngsters that
proper use of child safety restraints in vehicles can be a matter of life or
death.
To prevent children from being ejected from a vehicle or thrown around
violently inside it during a crash, state law requires the following
four-step progression:
1. Rear facing child-safety seat in the back seat (if vehicle
is equipped with a back seat) when the child:
* Is younger than 1-year-old or
* Weighs less than 20 pounds
2. Forward facing child-safety seat in the back seat (if the
vehicle is equipped with a back seat) when the child:
* Is at least 1-year-old but younger than
4-years-old or
* Weighs at least 20 pounds but less than 40
pounds.
3. Booster seat when the child:
* Is at least 4-years-old but younger than 8-years-old or
* Weighs at least 40 pounds but less than 80 pounds or
* Is not 57-inches (4-feet, 9-inches) tall or taller
4. Safety belt when the child:
* Is 8-years-old or older or
* Weighs 80 or more pounds or
* Is 57-inches tall or taller
“During Child Passenger Safety Week, we will be telling parents,
grandparents and other adults that the little bit of time and effort it
takes to secure a child properly according to their age or size can be a
lifesaver,” says Dennis Hughes, manager of safety programs for the State
Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety.
For more information and answers to questions about child passenger safety,
contact the Wisconsin Information Network for Safety at the following
toll-free number: 1-866-511-9467 (WINS). More information about the proper
use of booster seats is available on the Web at: www.boosterseat.gov
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