Washington State agencies and the NHTSA want you to focus on a critical issue, the importance of seat belt use for children during the winter months.
National statistics show that seat belts save thousands of lives every year, with 2023 marking a 91.9% usage rate in the U.S. However, many lives are still lost in crashes due to failure to buckle up or children buckling up the wrong way.
The consequences of not wearing a seat belt are severe. In 2022, half of the 25,420 fatalities in passenger vehicle crashes were unrestrained individuals. Seat belts saved around 14,955 lives in 2017 alone, and they could have saved thousands more if victims had been properly buckled up. Especially when it comes to children, the message is even more urgent. Washington State law requires children under 13 to be in the back seat and be in the appropriate car seat or booster seat until they are tall enough and mature enough to use an adult seat belt safely.
For parents, understanding when children are ready to transition to an adult seat belt is very important and mostly misunderstood. Typically, children should remain in a booster seat until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, and can sit with their back flat against the seat, their knees bent naturally over the edge, and their feet flat on the floor. The lap belt should fit snugly across their thighs, not their stomach, while the shoulder belt should cross their chest but not on their neck.
Improperly worn seat belts, like those placed under the arm or behind the back, can cause severe injuries during a collision. Large winter coats or fluffy layers of clothing can also create issues of correctly buckling up your children and could be the cause of unnecessary injury. The main photo above was presented as an example by the NHTSA, trying to show how difficult it can be to tell if a child is not correctly secured. Which photo shows the correct way, the left or the right side?
The right side is the correct way, but can you identify the two reasons why? The NHTSA says, "A bulky coat can create extra room in a car seat harness. Thinner layers provide the same warmth, and the harness will still fit snugly." The picture on the left shows a fluffy and bulky coat that does not allow the harness to fit snugly. The Washington State's efforts to raise awareness about seat belt safety stress the role of adults as role models. Research shows that children whose parents wear seat belts are more likely to also wear seat belts regularly. The challenge, especially with tweens and teens, is to make seat belt safety a non-negotiable habit. 58% of 13- and 14-year-old passengers who died in crashes in 2022 were unrestrained.
To make sure your children stay safe, keep consistent and firm reminders for everyone in the car to buckle up every time you drive. Never assume your child is buckled up, even for short trips, and just check to make sure.