Three Out of Four Car Seats Not Installed Properly: Safe Kids Utah announced as one of 11 national ‘Buckle Up for Life’ partners

(Salt Lake City) – What if there was a way to prevent a leading cause of childhood death, but three out of four of us were doing it wrong? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 75 percent of car seats in the U.S. are used incorrectly.

Today, Buckle Up For Life, a national car seat education program created by Toyota and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, announced Safe Kids Utah was selected as one of 11 new national partners for the program. The other 10 national partners selected this year include:

• American Family Children's Hospital, Madison, WI
• Cardon Children's Medical Center, Mesa, AZ
• City of Rocky Mount Fire Department, Rocky Mount, NC
• Dignity Health Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
• Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, Portland, OR
• Safe Kids Grand Forks - Altru Health System, Grand Forks, ND
• Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT
• Trustees of Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
• University Health System San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
• Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Detroit, MI

“Whether you’re a first-time parent, doting grandparent, or seasoned baby sitter, car seats are not always the easiest things to figure out,” said Cambree Applegate, Safe Kids Utah director and UDOH employee. “That’s why we are so excited to join Buckle Up For Life to help Utah families stay safe on the road.”

Staff with Safe Kids Utah and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) will work closely with the Salt Lake County, Utah County, and Weber-Morgan Health Departments to educate families and caregivers about the proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. Families in need may receive free car seats and will be matched with certified child passenger safety technicians to learn how to install them properly.

National research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that proper use of car seats can reduce the chance of an infant being killed in a crash by 71 percent and the risk of a toddler being killed by 54 percent. Kids in booster seats are also less likely to be killed or injured than children who are restrained only by a seat belt.

Buckle Up for Life was created by Toyota and Cincinnati Children’s in 2004 to help keep child passengers safe. More than 45,000 people have been impacted by the program in 17 cities around the country. In one city alone, the program nearly tripled the use of proper car seats among participating families. Community organizations that have offered the program have observed a marked improvement in participants’ auto safety behaviors, including:

• The average rate of children unrestrained in cars decreased from one in four to fewer than one in 20;
• The average rate of children in car seats increased from roughly one in four to one in two; and
• The use of seat belts by adults increased an average of 13 percent, from 68 percent to 81 percent.

Safe Kids Utah and local Safe Kids coalitions across the state will announce the launch of Buckle Up for Life in conjunction with free car seat checks and other safety events during National Child Passenger Safety Week, observed September 18-24, 2016. Event details can be found at http://safekidsutah.org.

For more information about Buckle Up for Life, visit www.buckleupforlife.org.

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Media Contact:
Cambree Applegate
Safe Kids Utah
(o) 801-538-6852 (m) 435-862-8773