Child safety seats

Government safety agencies say program has helped change child safety "culture" and saved "hundreds of lives"

LOS ANGELES, 2008-06-12 — Safe Kids Buckle Up, the child passenger safety program of Safe Kids USA sponsored by General Motors and Chevrolet, has reached a milestone no other program can claim: one million child safety seats checked for proper installation.

One-millionth Child Safety Seat Checked: Los Angeles Coordinator for Safe Kids USA Marisela De La Torre (right) checks the car seat restraint setup on Ulrick Major at a Safe Kids USA program sponsored by General Motors and Chevrolet in Los Angeles, California Thursday, June 12, 2008. (Photo by Tyler Mallory for Safe Kids USA)

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 -- A new five star government rating system will grade child safety seats on how easy they are to properly install, and will help guide parents and caregivers in choosing the right car seat to keep their children safe, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.

Secretary Peters and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Nicole Nason outlined the new star rating system at an Arlington, Va., fire station today, and released new star ratings for 78 child safety seats currently on the market.

30 Years Later

Washington, D.C., 1/17/2008 -- Thirty years after the enactment of the nation’s first child safety seat law, a new survey shows parents strongly support child safety seats and child seat laws.

Yet nearly 100 children under age 5 die every year in crashes they could have survived if they had been using child safety seats, said AAA in calling for states to close gaps in their child passenger safety laws.