Child Passenger Safety Week Reminds Parents to Keep Kids Safe in Cars

Last year in Colorado, eight children under the age of twelve died in crashes. To protect those that can’t protect themselves, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Colorado State Patrol (CSP) are teaming together during Child Passenger Safety Week to encourage parents and caregivers to make sure children are always safe and secure in vehicles.

If parents wonder whether they have the right sized seat for their child or if it’s installed correctly, there are free car seat inspection stations across the state. Parents can find the station closest to them by visiting bit.ly/CPSstations or by heading to CarSeatsColorado.com and clicking the “Get an inspection” link.

Throughout the year, Car Seats Colorado also hosts free car seat check events, with several occurring this week. At the events, trained car seat safety technicians offer free car seat and booster seat inspections, fit checks and new educational materials. A calendar of events can be found on the Car Seats Colorado Facebook events page.

 “While car seat technicians are out all year doing outreach in their communities about child passenger safety, this week is our annual large-scale reminder to parents and caregivers to make sure kids are safe in cars,” said Sam Cole, Communications Manager at CDOT. “Three out of four children are not properly secured in car seats, which puts them at severe risk of injury or death in a crash. We encourage every parent to take the time this week to make sure kids are in the correct seat and that the seat is properly installed.”

New resources just released for caregivers, law enforcement and child passenger safety technicians include an updated website atCarSeatsColorado.com, an educational video about proper car seats use, and educational brochures and flyers in English and Spanish.

The new Car Seats Colorado resources can be viewed and downloaded at bit.ly/CarSeatsCO2016 or CarSeatsColorado.com. The new video can also viewed on YouTube at bit.ly/carseatvideo.

Car Seats Colorado is comprised of CDOT, CSP, local car seat technicians, law enforcement, emergency services and other professionals who are dedicated to implementing child passenger safety programs and encouraging parents to take the necessary steps to protect their children when in vehicles. Learn more about how to keep children safe in vehicles and download informational resources at CarSeatsColorado.com.