Transportation Cabinet
Kentucky Office of Highway Safety to answer questions regarding car seats and boosters during ‘Facebook Friday’

Child Passenger Safety Week Sept. 19-25

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2010) – Three out of four child safety seats are improperly installed in vehicles according to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That’s why the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) is hosting a Facebook Friday in honor of National Child Passenger Safety Week Sept. 19-25.

Parents and caregivers may submit questions on Friday, Sept. 24, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. EDT through the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety – Child Passenger Safety Program page found via www.facebook.com. Participants will receive a live response by nationally trained technicians who will offer tips on how to properly protect their kids.

“It’s the responsibility of every parent and caregiver to make sure their children are safely restrained – every trip, every time,” said Boyd Sigler, KOHS director of highway safety programs. “We are urging everyone to log on and ask our experts their questions. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes.”

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children nationwide. In 2009,
22 children age 15 and under were killed in motor vehicles on Kentucky roadways. Eleven of them were unrestrained.

“Child passenger safety technicians regularly report a misuse rate of over 90 percent at events throughout the state,” said Erin Goin, KOHS statewide child passenger safety coordinator. “The vast availability of information on the internet, combined with the many types of car seats and differing laws in surrounding states, is generating confusion among parents.”

Kentucky law requires all children under seven who are between 40 and 50 inches tall to be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat. However, Safety Belt Safe USA recommends children stay in a booster as long as possible since seat belts are made for adults.

“The law is certainly a step in the right direction; however, because seat belts are designed to fit people who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, we encourage the use of boosters until the maximum height and weight limit specified by the seat manufacturer is reached,” said Goin.

While this Kentucky-hosted Facebook Friday will be with live technicians, the site will continued to be monitored for questions on a weekly basis.

When correctly installed, safety seats are 71 percent effective in reducing infant fatalities, 67 percent effective in reducing the need for hospitalization and 54 percent effective in reducing fatalities of children ages 1 to 4. A properly installed belt-positioning booster seat lowers the risk of injury to children by nearly 60 percent, compared with seat belts alone.

For additional car seat and booster information visit http://highwaysafety.ky.gov.

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