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Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury, hospitalization, and death for American children, making it a leading public health concern. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2021, an average of 3 children aged 14 and under were killed and 445 were injured every day in traffic crashes, and of child passengers who died in a crash and for whom restraint use was known, 40% were not restrained or buckled up.1 Use of a child safety seat reduces the risk of injury for infants and toddlers by 71-82% compared with the use of seat belts alone.2,3 Booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45% for children ages 4-8,4 and seat belt use reduces the risk for death and serious injury by about half for car passengers ages 5 and older.5

In this webinar, Joe Colella, Director of Child Passenger Safety for the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), will help attendees better understand what occurs during a crash and how proper restraint selection and use saves lives and reduces injuries. Throughout the presentation, he will discuss the value of car seat education, child restraint engineering, occupant protection law enactment, active and visible law enforcement, and ongoing evidence in peer-reviewed literature.

Cassandra Herring, who leads Child Occupant Protection efforts for Safe Kids Worldwide, will address community-based strategies for ensuring proper installation and use of car seats, including in-person and virtual inspections. Ms. Herring will also present Safe Kids Worldwide’s new strategic focus on equity in child safety, designed to identify and engage with families and communities that are at increased risk of preventable injury.