News Release

Safe Kids Oklahoma

6800 N.W. 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK 73008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Caroline Curtis, communications director

July 31, 2018 Phone: (405) 470-2304
Email: carolinescurtis1@gmail.com

KEEP YOU AND YOUR KIDS SAFE THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND BY TRAVELLING
WITH CAR SEATS AND SEATBELTS

BETHANY, Okla. – Safe Kids Oklahoma is encouraging Oklahoma parents and children to use

proper car seats and seat belts when traveling this Labor Day. Safe Kids and its sponsor, The

Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital, are promoting responsible use of car seats and seatbelts to

prevent the large number of road fatalities that typically occur around this holiday.

According to Safe Kids Oklahoma Coordination David Sisson, recent surveys reveal that

about 23 percent of Oklahoma children ride without seatbelts, and of those that do, four out five are

not buckled in properly. Additionally, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office’s most recent report on

road accidents, at www.ok.gov/ohso, during the 78 hours prior to Labor Day, 10 people died in nine

fatal crashes and another 226 were injured in 147 injury crashes.

Safe kids’ online report about child passenger safety reveals that road injuries are the leading

cause of unintentional death to children aged 19 or younger in the United States alone.

“What makes me so angry is to see a baby ejected from a car. There’s no reason for it. When

someone is ejected, you can almost guarantee they weren’t buckled in,” said Oklahoma Highway

Patrol Lieutenant Tom Trooper. “I’ve seen rollover accidents where a baby where a baby went

through a windshield and the car rolled over them. If that baby had been buckled up, he would have

been in his car seat and probably would have had a few cuts and bruises.”

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Labor Day Seatbelt Safety, page 2

Sisson revealed that most deaths and injuries amongst children in road accidents could be

prevented if people understood how to properly use car seats and seatbelts.

“Most parents are especially unaware children up to 80 pounds should be in booster seats

rather than seat belts alone,” said Sisson. “Without a booster seat, the shoulder portion crosses that

child’s neck and the lap portion crosses the abdomen – both dangerous situations. A child is not big

enough for a seat belt alone until the shoulder belt comes across the chest and the lap portion rides

across the hips and thighs.”

According to Sisson, Safe Kids’ workshops are a great opportunity for parents who might be

confused on how to properly secure their child in a vehicle to get one-on-one coaching.

Safe Kids Oklahoma encourages Oklahoma residents to get informed by utilizing permanent

child passenger inspection stations near them. Safe Kids also provides tips on how to ride safely with

car seats as well as expert help on how to choose and use a car seat at www.safekids.org/tip/car-seat-

tips.

Safe Kids Oklahoma is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting kids from

unintentional injuries in the state of Oklahoma. Its goal is to provide support for community-based

needs by implementing evidence-based programs, such as car seat checkups, safety workshops and

sports clinics, that help parents and caregivers prevent childhood injuries.

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