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Every 33 Seconds, a Child is Involved in a Car Crash


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WASHINGTON - September 14, 2016: With more than 2,600 children under 13 involved in a car crash every day, or one child every 33 seconds, parents need to be extra vigilant about keeping kids safe in cars. And while most families put kids in car seats, the latest research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 59 percent of car seats are not installed correctly. To bring parents easy-to-access expert advice to protect their children in cars, Safe Kids Worldwide is launching a new resource today, the Ultimate Car Seat Guide.

Visit www.UltimateCarSeatGuide.org

The Guide, developed with support from General Motors, gives expert guidance to parents, particularly new parents, on the important decisions they face when choosing and using a car seat. It offers parent-friendly tips on how to fit a child into a car seat and how to know when it is time to move to a new type of seat.

Based on the wisdom gained from checking nearly two million car seats at Safe Kids Buckle Up events, the Guide provides parents the latest best practices to give kids the best protection. Advice covers all stages of a child's development, from the first car seat until the child is ready to ride with a seat belt.

"As the car seat experts, we are constantly asked by parents what kind of car seat to buy, how to install it properly, and when a child should move into a booster seat," said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "Not every parent can make it to one of the thousands of car seat checkup events held by Safe Kids each year, but with the Ultimate Car Seat Guide, we can reach more parents with helpful tips to protect kids on the move."

"For nearly 20 years, we've been a partner with Safe Kids and have supported the Buckle Up program to raise awareness" said Jeff Boyer, Vice President of General Motors Global Vehicle Safety. "We are extremely proud that we can now offer parents a valuable tool that allows free access to vital safety information."

"Safe Kids provides accessible, easy-to-understand resources and education for parents and caregivers who want to make sure their littlest passengers are safe and secure in the correct car seat," said Dr. Mark Rosekind, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "It's our goal to make sure every child is buckled up, every time, and I applaud Safe Kids for their efforts in support of that mission."

About Child Passenger Safety Week - September 18-24
Child Passenger Safety Week is September 18-24 and culminates with National Seat Check Saturday on September 24. In September, Safe Kids will host nearly 500 car seat events and inspection stations across the country, offering guidance from Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians on proper car seat and booster seat installation and usage. Parents and caregivers can visit SafeKids.org to locate an event in their community.

About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to prevent childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 60 percent. Working together, we can do much more for kids everywhere. Join our effort at safekids.org