Alarming number of parents don’t buckle up kids in the car

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new study by Safe Kids finds parents are driving without buckling up their kids in car seats or booster seats. Car crashes are the leading cause of kids’ deaths and they can be preventable.

According to their study, one in four parents admitted to having driven without buckling their child in a car seat or booster seat. 16% believed it was ok to let their children ride unrestrained on overnight car trips. 21% of parents thought it was ok to let their child ride unrestrained if they weren’t driving far. Unfortunately, more than half of crashes involving children happen ten minutes or less from home.

This new study comes out as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, observed September 15-21.