Get in Gear with the ABC's of Carpooling

Graco Children's Products Inc. Offers Carpooling Safety Tips When Traveling with Child Passengers

EXTON, Pa., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the beginning of the school year quickly approaching, parents will be placing their children in the cars of friends and neighbors as they send them off to school, daycare and extracurricular activities. While carpooling is a common practice that helps parents manage their children's busy schedules, it is important that all child passengers are safely secured while traveling in any automobile.

The average carpool ride is usually a short trip, but there is still plenty of time for an accident to happen with precious cargo in the backseat. In fact, 25 percent of all vehicle crashes occur less than 5 minutes from the home.(1)

With more than 38 states having passed stricter child passenger safety laws requiring children to remain in booster seats longer, some parents may be unsure of how the new legislation relates to carpooling.(2) However, research continues to show that the safest place for children traveling in a car is in a height/weight appropriate child restraint system. A recent study conducted by the Partners for Child Passenger Safety found that placing a 4-7 year old in a belt-positioning booster seat with a seat belt instead of a seat belt alone reduces the child's risk of injury by 59 percent.

"Take the time to transfer a child's booster seat from vehicle to vehicle," said Carol Helminski, certified child passenger safety seat specialist under the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration program and safety coordinator for Graco Children's Products. "The few extra minutes it takes to move the seat can make a world of difference in the case of an automobile crash."

To help ensure a safe ride, Graco Children's Products offers parents and caregivers the following carpooling checklist.

  Always place children under 12 in the rear seat of a vehicle.

  Booster seats, car seats or seat belts should be provided for every child
  passenger in the vehicle -- choose the appropriate seat for each sized
  child.

  Choose booster seats that are appealing to children or even better,
  include your child in the decision-making process so they are happy to use
  the booster seat.

  Don't forget to check that all child safety seats are properly secured
  according to the manufacturer's instructions.

  Every door should be locked once all passengers are safely buckled in the
  vehicle.  If child safety locks are available, make sure they are in
  place.

  Fill out a contact sheet for every child in the carpool.  Keep this
  information readily available in case of an emergency.

  About Graco(R)

Graco Children's Products Inc., a Newell Rubbermaid company headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of juvenile products. Graco(R) is a proven innovator in the development of baby swings and soothers, strollers, travel systems, car seats, highchairs, portable playards, monitors, activity centers and jumpers. For more information on Graco(R) products, please visit www.gracobaby.com.

(1) Safe Kids Worldwide (www.usa.safekids.org)

(2) NHTSA Occupant Protection Division