Kicking off Child Passenger Safety Week with essential car safety tips

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Child Passenger Safety Week has kicked off, highlighting the importance of properly securing children when in a vehicle.

Meg Fuehne from the Family Conservancy visited FOX4 to share valuable car safety tips to protect the little ones on the road.

Road injuries are the current leading cause of preventable death and injuries to children, according to Safe Kids Worldwide . The proper use of car seats can significantly reduce the devasting risk, however, car seats are commonly misused. Over half of all car seats are not installed or used correctly.

Fuehne shared her top car seat safety tips with us:

1. Always follow instructions. Each car seat model has specific guidelines that need to be followed to ensure safety.
2. Keep your car seat rear-facing for as long as possible. This position is safest for young children.
3. Avoid puffy coats! Puffy coats create a gap between the child and the harness that reduces the effectiveness of a car seat during a crash.
4. The pinch test. If you can pinch the strap between your fingers the harness is too loose.
5. Find a local inspection site to ensure your seat is installed correctly, many communities offer this service for free.

By following these tips, parents and caregivers can reduce the risk of injury or death to their child in the event of a car crash.

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