This year’s Child Passenger Safety Week is focusing on #therightseat. What is the right seat for your child? That’s not an easy question, but it’s an important one: injuries in motor vehicles are a leading cause of death in American children. According to the CDC, when properly used, #therightseat for your child reduces his or her risk of injury and death in a car crash by 50-71%.
Choosing the right seat isn’t easy though, for lots of different reasons. Why is it so hard? Here’s one story:
When part of our team was at the Kidz in Motion conference in Orlando, Florida this year, they had an opportunity to help a family with #therightseat. This family knew their baby needed a seat for every ride. At home in the UK they used one seat, but when traveling to Florida on holiday they didn’t know where to look for a safe travel seat. So they did what lots of parents and grandparents do: they stuck with their routine, and turned to a seat they had bought for their 21 year old daughter when she was a baby. This seat was their travel seat and had been used by many friends and family through the years. Though this seat was probably state of the art two decades ago, technology has moved on and a 20 year old seat is no longer a safe option. Doing things like we’ve done them with our older children or learning to parent from our peers who have been there before is certainly essential in parenting. While our village might be a metaphoric life-saver with other parenting topics, when it comes to #therightseat, up-to-date information and technology is the literal life-saver.
1994 Britax BabySure
Ryan Hawker from Dorel Juvenile
This sweet family not only got to have a conversation with a group of CPSTs about a safe option for their baby, Ryan Hawker from Dorel Juvenile was able to provide this family with a new, safe seat for their baby (and was awarded a CPS hero prize for this among other acts!). CPSTs then talked them through the use and installation of the seat. Choosing #therightseat is only part of the equation, it must be properly used and installed as well.
Choosing the right seat isn’t easy but it’s immensely important. That’s where we come in! By using #therightseat, caregivers, CPSTs, and Child Passenger Safety Advocates can start a discussion about the importance of choosing the proper car seat or booster for every child and every ride. #therightseat can be used anywhere on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and beyond.
During CPS week we’ll be talking more about #therightseat for different kids, different cars and different situations, and how we can help get every kid in #therightseat. We’ve got articles, reviews and giveaways, so stay tuned! At CSFTL, our team is passionate about helping parents get the best information to choose the right seat for their kids. Ask us for help, it’s what we love to do, and remember that the safest seat is the one that fits your kid, fits your car and that you use correctly every time.
