Child Passenger Safety Week Recognized by Legislature

SACRAMENTO – Senator Bill Dodd’s (D-Napa) resolution naming the third week of September as Child Passenger Safety Week in California passed the State Legislature with bipartisan support. Dodd’s resolution recognizes that fatal vehicle collisions account for 25 percent of injury deaths for children.

“Having six grandchildren, all of different ages and heights, I know the importance of correctly installing car and booster seats. Parents and grandparents want to travel with the comfort of knowing that loved ones are as safe as possible in the event of an accident,” said Senator Dodd. “It is my hope that this resolution will promote the importance of child passenger safety and help reduce collision deaths in California. I’d like to thank organizations like AAA and the CHP who offer free car seat inspections to the general public. I urge all guardians of small children to reach out to these organizations and schedule appointments to have their car seats inspected.”

With automobile collisions being the leading cause of injury and death for children, the issue of child passenger safety is increasingly growing in importance.  Roughly 90 percent of child restraints are incorrectly installed or improperly used, according to AAA research. Further, 71 percent of small children in fatal crashes would have survived had they been properly restrained in child safety seats. Studies also show that nine out of ten parents move their child from a booster seat to a seat belt before their child is big enough.

AAA Northern California sponsored the resolution with the support of public safety advocates and the Automobile Club of Southern California.

“AAA has been the nation’s leading traffic safety advocacy group for more than one hundred years,” said AAA Northern California CEO Tim Condon.  “We encourage every parent and guardian to visit a AAA branch for a free car seat inspection so that families are safer and more free to enjoy life’s adventures on the road. Child Passenger Safety is an important issue for AAA and we’d like to thank Senator Bill Dodd for his efforts in helping us promote the importance of traffic safety and keeping our children safe.”

Child Passenger Safety Week will be recognized on the third week every September. The week is commemorated by encouraging law enforcement, healthcare organizations, passenger safety specialists, and child advocates to observe the week with programs, ceremonies, and educational activities to continue efforts to ensure the safety of California’s children through public education and enforcement of child passenger restraint laws and effective passenger safety practices. Events will be held across the state and free car seat inspection appointments are available at numerous locations.