Car Seat Safety for Kids Resources

Learn about the Child Safety Seat Program at CHOP and how to qualify for a car seat at no cost.

The Safety Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offers low-cost safety products including bike helmets, car seats and home safety products.

https://injury.research.chop.edu/child-passenger-safety-tools

This series of 37 educational illustrations, with descriptions in English and Spanish, will help you demonstrate proper restraint use for a variety of ages, sizes, vehicle types and restraint types. They can be used to enhance presentations, fact sheets, and brochures with accurate depictions of vehicle safety features, restraint types and correct vs. incorrect restraint use.

https://injury.research.chop.edu/traffic-injury-prevention/child-passenger-safety/child-passenger-safety-tools/child-passenger-safety#.VPoexCz9y9Y

These downloadable reports describe child passenger safety research that is relevant for countermeasure and policy aimed at reducing child crash-related injury and deaths. Child passenger safety educators and pediatricians will also find current, useful information on new areas of concentration for education efforts.

https://injury.research.chop.edu/sites/default/files/documents/fotonovela.pdf

This Spanish-language fotonovela was developed as an educational tool to promote booster seats among Latino communities.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat. Most convertible seats have limits that will allow children to ride rear-facing for two years or more.

This educational fact sheet addresses questions about the safe use of belt-positioning booster seats for children.

This educational fact sheet provides information on how to use the proper restraint for each child's age and size

These general guidelines can help you maintain proper car seat safety and choose the most appropriate car seat for your child.

https://injury.research.chop.edu/sites/default/files/documents/chop_police_tip_card.pdf

This pocket-sized tip card has the basics about car passenger safety — with room for you to customize it with your state's traffic code. Then cut, fold, laminate and distribute the tip cards to law enforcement officers to carry with them. Many in law enforcement feel that lack of knowledge prohibits them from writing citations and warnings or providing guidance during a routine traffic stop.

This educational fact sheet addresses questions about safe seating positions for children.

http://teendriversource.research.chop.edu

The Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at CHOP provides an evidence-based website called teendriversource.research.chop.edu for teens, parents, policymakers and those that support and educate them. Get information on best practices for learning to drive, graduated driver licensing laws, and guiding teens during the risky early years of independent driving. Download teaching aids, fact sheets, research reports, and more.

Our educational videos, available in both English and Spanish, feature helpful tips and information about child passenger safety at any age. 

Our educational videos feature helpful tips and information about child passenger safety at any age.

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/Air-Bag-Safety.aspx

Air bags can cause injuries to infants and young children seated in front of them. The information listed on the AAP site will help keep you and your children safe.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx

The type of car safety seat your child needs depends on several things, including your child’s age and size and the type of vehicle you have. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides information about choosing the most appropriate car safety seat for your child.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Product-Listing.aspx

Through its healthychildre.org website, the AAP provides a list of car seat manufacturers. Information includes weight and height limit, price range and links to the manufacturer’s website.

http://buckleupforlife.org/

Buckle Up For Life is a community-based safety education program that educates the entire family on critical safety behaviors and provides free child car seats to families in need.

http://injury.research.chop.edu/

CIRP is a comprehensive pediatric trauma research facility at CHOP dedicated to addressing injury, the leading cause of death for children and adolescents.

https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/child_passenger_safety/cps-factsheet.html

Motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. But many of these deaths can be prevented. Get the facts in this report from the CDC.

http://www.countdown2drive.org/

If you're a parent of a teen, check out Countdown2Drive, a nationwide web-based program that promotes safe passenger behavior among pre-driving teens.

http://www.ghsa.org/

GHSA’s website provides information on child passenger safety laws including helpful charts for all 50 states and their individual laws on when to use a child restraint or passenger seat, and when it is permissible to transition into an adult safety belt. 

https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/kohls-injury-prevention-program

The Injury Prevention Program at CHOP is dedicated to preventing injuries in children. The aim of this program is to educate families about safety and help increase safety practices in the community.

https://www.iihs.org

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses from crashes on the nation’s roads. Find information about key highway safety issues, along with compilations research, news and legal information on each topic.

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/child-boosters

IIHS’s ratings take the guesswork out of selecting boosters most likely to provide good lap and shoulder belt fit in a range of vehicles. Review the information provided to help you select the right booster for your child.

https://www.madd.org/

Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. MADD also supports drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every 8.6 minutes through local MADD victim advocates and at 1-877-MADD-HELP.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/motor-vehicle-occupant-protection-facts

This booklet from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers the importance of promoting occupant restraint use for children, youth, and young adults; occupant protection facts specific to children and youth and young adults; and includes survey findings from NHTSA's Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Surveys on self-reported behavior, attitudes, and opinions about safety belt use and laws.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides a wide variety of vehicle safety information, including recent recalls, educational resources, research, and a Child Car Seat Inspection Station Locator. You can also call the NHTSA Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

https://www.nsc.org/road/safety-topics/child-passenger-safety/child-passenger-safety-home

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization with the mission to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides a listing of all child safety seats that have been recalled during the last 10 years. You can also use the site to register your child’s safety seat to be notified in the event of a safety recall.

http://www.safekids.org/events/field_type/check-event

Safe Kids Worldwide hosts more than 8,000 car seat inspection events across the country. Find one near you.

http://www.carseat.org

SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization dedicated to child passenger safety, recognized for program excellence, training, and up-to-date technical materials. 

http://injury.research.chop.edu/traffic-injury-prevention/child-passenger-safety/tools

The Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at CHOP offers a complete library of car seat education materials for child passenger safety practitioners, parents, and advocates. Resources that can be accessed from the CIRP Site include videos, fact sheets, illustrations, charts and reports.