Buckling Up Your Children

Stephanie Tombrello: Hello, I am Stephanie Tombrello, Executive Director of SafetyBeltSafe U.

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A. We have been talking about why it's so important to buckle up everyone in your family correctly. But now we want to focus on the importance of protecting children properly in the car. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death and injury for children and young adults. The risks of car crashes don't just come from speeding on the freeway. In fact, you are more likely to be killed at low speeds and close to home. When you think of a motor vehicle crash you need to realize that there are actually three collisions. First, the vehicle hit something. Then the occupancy of the vehicle move toward the point of impact at the speed the car was going. Then the internal organs inside your body move toward the point of impact. If the speed is quiet great or the change in velocity is quiet great, you have a chance of having internal injuries just from the change of direction. One of the worst things about being in unrestrained passenger in the vehicle is that you can move in the direction of the crash and actually come in contact with the intruding object or you can be thrown out of the vehicle and your own vehicle can follow you and actually crush you. Did you know that every state has laws requiring the use of child safety seats? The first one was passed in 1978, and by 1985 every state in the union had a law requiring at least the youngest children to ride properly buckled up. Today, many states have laws that cover children up to the time of driving age, with some kind of requirement for proper use. But laws can be spotty and so it's very important for you as a parent to follow best practice not just what the law says. So buckle up, buckle up on every ride whether you are on the freeway or going around the corner. And never let a child get out of the safety seat, because he or she is fussing. Now, we have talked about some of the reasons it's very important to buckle up your child properly. Next, we are going to talk about some of the dangers that come from airbags.