National Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 16-22

Next week is National Child Passenger Safety Week. Both the state police and PennDOT are encouraging drivers to participate in free child passenger safety seat checkups throughout the state.

There will be 141 fitting stations across Pennsylvania where parents can learn proper installation and use of child safety seats.

In a press release from PennDOT, Secretary Barry J. Schoch said, “Only about one in every four child safety seats are installed correctly, so we’re urging those transporting our smallest passengers to get their seats checked.”

Reports show that in 2011, nine children were killed in vehicle crashes and 2,487 children were injured.

In Pennsylvania, the law requires that children under the age of 4 ride in a federally-approved car seat that is appropriate for the child’s age, height, and weight. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 must use a booster seat if they are no longer in a car seat. Because of the potential danger associated with air bag deployment, children ages 12 and under should always ride in a vehicle’s back seat.

Pennsylvania’s seat-belt law requires that children age 8 to 17 use a seat belt, and violations are a primary offense. It is a secondary offense for drivers and front-seat passengers age 18 and older to travel unbuckled.