No parent would ever intentionally place their child in harm’s way.  However, anytime you put your child in a moving vehicle without properly restraining them, you are doing just that.  Automobile crashes occur when you least expect it, so don’t risk your child’s life!

Anytime you are in a moving automobile, be sure your child is properly restrained in the back seat, even if you are just going down the block or from one shopping center to the next.  Small children are fragile and even a small “bump up” or quick turn can cause serious injury… or worse!

Take a look at these startling statistics:

• Motor vehicle crashes are the Leading Cause Of Death and Serious Injury for North Carolina children over 1 year of age. *
  
• 80% – 90% of all child safety seats are either installed improperly or used incorrectly.*
  
• Fatal injuries in motor vehicle crashes are reduced by 69% for infants (less than 1-year-old) and by 47% for toddlers (1- to 4-years-old) when properly restrained in child safety seats.*
  
• During 1997, fourteen children under age 4 and forty-five children age 4 – 11 died in automobile crashes on North Carolina roads. Of these fifty-nine children, only twenty (33%) were properly restrained.**
  
• Research proves that adults have a large impact on children’s safety habits. For adults who wear seatbelts, 95% of their children are also properly restrained. Only 44% of the children of adults who do not wear seatbelts are restrained.*

Please do not let your child become a statistic! If you need help locating a child safety seat, properly installing it, or more information on North Carolina’s child restraint laws, visit the website of the UNC Highway Safety Research Center or call (800) 672-4527