I have talked a lot about car seat safety, from car seats to safety standards. Car Seat safety doesn’t end with booster seat. It is imperative that we continue being strict about car seat safety with our tweens too. One rule that should not be up for debate – the car doesn’t move until everyone is wearing a seat belt.
I know that tweens think they know it all and like to fight about everything – I have a 10 year old son that is the best at arguing about absolutely nothing! However, being buckled up is a a fight worth having, if you must. It could save your tween’s life.
Kids ages 8 – 14 are injured every 8 minutes in a car crash! Between 2009 – 2013, 1,522 kids ages 8-14 died in car crashes. The sad thing is that nearly 1/2 of those kids did not have a seat belt on. This rate goes up as kids get older. The percentage of teens between ages of 13-14 that die as a result of not wearing a seat belt is most pronounced at this age, the older kids get, the less likely they are to buckle up and more likely to die in a car crash.
This Battlefield MiniVan Video dries home this point!
Just because your child is 8 and finally out of the booster seat doesn’t mean their safety isn’t as important! It is just as important to buckle your tween up with a seat belt as your baby in a car seat. You too, mom. Lead by example and always wear your seat belt.
We all know that seat belts and car seats, if used correctly, reduce the risk of injury and death to our children. In fact, 1 in 4 car seats are installed incorrectly! Thankfully wearing a seat belt is easier – it’s all about making our kids understand that the car doesn’t move until the seat belt is on.
Learn more about Seat Belt Safety for Tweens:
-Visit www.safercar.gov/kidsbuckleup
This is not a compensated post.
