Ensure Your Child's Safety in the Car This Labor Day
29 August 2000
Ensure Your Child's Safety in the Car This Labor Day And Back-to-School SeasonBoost America! Gives Safety Tips to Parents WALLA WALLA, Wash., Aug. 29 Millions of parents of youngsters 40 to 80 pounds (roughly ages 4 to 8) can take one simple action to help ensure their child's safety this holiday and back-to-school season as they travel in the family vehicle -- properly buckle their children in booster seats and lap and shoulder safety belts. Autumn Alexander Skeen, a Boost America! safety ambassador who lost her four year-old son in a car crash when his seat belt failed to keep him inside the vehicle, is educating parents about the importance of booster seats and providing additional lifesaving child safety tips. The federal government estimates that only about 6 percent of the nearly 20 million children in this age group are restrained in booster seats, which offer more secure restraint than lap/shoulder belts alone. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Nickelodeon and others, Boost America! is a $15 million, multi-year child booster seat education campaign that will reach out to every daycare, preschool and elementary school in the nation. It will distribute one million booster seats, half of which will go to families in need. "No parent should ever know the pain of losing a child, especially if death or injury is easily preventable. As millions of Americans take to the roads this Labor Day weekend and back-to-school season, we owe it to our children to ensure everyone is buckled-up and kids who weigh from 40 to 80 pounds ride in booster seats," said Skeen. Skeen offered the following child safety tips: * Infants should ride in the back seat in a rear facing safety seat until they are one year old and at least 20 pounds. * Children 20 to 40 pounds should ride in the back seat in a forward facing safety seat. * Children 40 to 80 pounds should ride in the back seat in a booster seat and lap/shoulder belt. * Shoulder belts are critical to use with booster seats because they provide the child with upper body protection. Never use a booster seat without a shoulder belt. * The back seat is the safest place for children ages 12 and under to ride. * Children should never place the shoulder belt behind their backs or under their arms. Doing so will greatly increase the risk of severe injury in a crash because shoulder belts provide needed upper body protection in the event of a crash. * Parents should always set the example by buckling-up themselves and ensuring all their passengers are wearing safety belts, and using booster or child seats as appropriate. "Booster seats are inexpensive and easy to use," Skeen said. "In a car crash they can save your child's life." Since the loss of her son in 1996, Skeen has led the charge to warn others of the need for booster seats. Residing in Walla, Walla, she is also responsible for Washington becoming the first state to enact a booster seat law. Named in honor of her son, "Anton's Law" was signed last March. Her moving story has been featured on ABC's 20/20, CNN, in Readers Digest, and in newspapers across the country. Boost America! is one of the most extensive public/private child passenger safety partnerships ever created. The U.S. Department of Transportation's NHTSA is the lead partner, joined by some of the nation's leading health, safety, education and law enforcement organizations.