Toyota’s Buckle Up for Life Dispels Car Seat Myths
Buckle Up for Life educates parents on car seat safety
If you’re a proud parent, you know that nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of your child while you’re on the road. Yet every year, hundreds of parents install their children’s car seats incorrectly without realizing, ultimately jeopardizing their safety in the event of a collision. In order to help educate parents and caregivers on the correct use of car seats, Toyota and Cincinnati Children’s Buckle Up for Life program has released an infographic helping dispel the myths surrounding car seat use.
First of all, many parents are under the assumption that once their child turns one, they can graduate from rear-facing to forward-facing. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children remain in rear-facing car seats until they are two years old. Doing so can decrease the risk of death by 75%.
Secondly, some parents try to save money by purchasing a car seat second-hand. Car seats have expiration dates, and those that have been involved in a crash are deemed unsafe. Even if you know the person from whom you are purchasing the car seat, it’s not worth the risk. Luckily, Buckle Up for Life also dispels the myth that expensive car seats are better—actually, all approved car seats are equally safe, so you needn’t spend hundreds to protect your child.
Finally, the infographic explains that children under 4 feet 9 inches need booster seats because seat belts don’t yet fit them properly. Additionally, children younger than 13 years old should remain in the back seat, regardless of whether or not they have outgrown their booster seats.
Toyota and Cincinnati Children’s hope that by disseminating this information via their Buckle Up for Life program, parents will ensure that their children are safer on the road. The program, which reached more than 1,000 families between 2014 and 2015, is now expanding to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and New Haven, Connecticut, to reach families in those cities.
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