Child Passenger Safety Week observed

September 13-19 is “Child Passenger Safety Week”.  In a nationwide effort to make sure all parents and caregivers are properly securing their children from birth through age 12 in the right car restraints (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster, seat belt) for their age and size, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office are launching a child passenger safety campaign.
During this time, the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office, along with other local agencies, will be hosting a Child Passenger Safety Checkpoint. The checkpoint will be held on Friday, September 18, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the Child Support Office located at 1361 W. Market St., Suite A in Bolivar. Officers at the checkpoint will be instructing parents on the proper way to use the car restraints. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 1-12 years old. From 2006 to 2010, 4,028 children (age 12 and younger in a passenger vehicle) were killed and an estimated 660,000 were injured, in motor vehicle traffic crashes — more than the entire population of Boston, Massachusetts.
The campaign objectives are to educate parents and caregivers about NHTSA’s car seat recommendations for children from birth through age 12, as well as convince parents to seek more information on NHTSA’s car seat recommendations. For more information visit Safercar.gov/therightseat, to find out for sure if you have your child in the right car seat. The site also has important information on car seat use and installation such as How-to videos, recall notifications, and NHTSA’s car seat ease-of-use ratings.