Be a Super Hero – Keep Your Kids Safe This September

Boost & Buckle to Arrive Alive

Be your child’s super hero! Keep children safe in their booster seats while traveling in a motor vehicle.

Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 21-27. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to ensure all caregivers of young children know the importance of buckling children in an appropriate child restraint.

In 2007, 15 children in Missouri under age 8 were killed and 1,866 were injured as occupants in motor vehicle crashes. A 2006 booster seat law requires children to be in a booster seat if they are ages 4 through 7 years old, unless:

• They are at least 80 pounds.
• They are at least 4’9” tall.

“It’s so important for parents and caregivers to understand the importance of booster seats.  It’s not just about following the law – booster seats help prevent serious injury and may even save your child’s life,” said Leanna Depue, chair of the executive committee for the coalition.

Television and radio ads will run throughout the state enforcing the booster seat message, and events are planned in Kirksville and Joplin where old car seats will be crushed, highlighting the need for parents and caregivers to use update car seats and make sure they are correctly installed.

When used correctly, child safety seats are 71 percent effective in preventing fatalities for infants and 54 percent effective for toddlers. Serious injuries can result from improperly fitted safety belts, particularly for children ages 4 through 7 who are secured only in a regular safety belt during a crash. These injuries are commonly known as “seat belt syndrome,” which are often life threatening or disabling. Booster seats help prevent this syndrome from occurring by raising the child up so the lap and shoulder belt fits them properly.

Visit www.saveMOlives.com for more information about child passenger safety. Boost & Buckle to Arrive Alive.