More than 43 million Americans traveled for Thanksgiving last year and
ninety percent of them did so by car.1 That’s why, as we
approach the busiest travel season of the year, travel safety
information is more important than ever – especially for children. Did
you know that children’s winter coats should be removed before placing
them in a car seat? What about the startling fact that three out of four
car seats are incorrectly installed?
Buckle
Up for Life, the national child passenger safety program from
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Toyota, released the
following top safety tips to help keep child passengers safe during the
holidays:
-
TIP #1: Use the Inch Test and the Pinch Test.
Before your
family heads out on the road for the holidays – even if you are
traveling a short distance – double-check that your car seat is
installed properly. You can access easy ways to check this, including
the Inch Test and the Pinch Test, at www.BuckleUpforLife.org.
-
TIP #2: Remove Your Child’s Winter Coat.
Before securing
your child in their seat, remove their winter coat. A coat can prevent
the harness from fitting correctly. It also could compress in a crash,
compromising the seat’s ability to protect your child.
-
TIP #3: Traveling By Plane? Check Your Seat for FAA Approval.
If
your child plans to sit in their car seat on a plane, make sure the
seat is approved by the FAA. An approved car seat will fit in the
airplane seat properly and its harness will hold your child securely
in the event of turbulence. Information about your car seat’s FAA
approval can be found on the side of the car seat.
-
TIP #4: Don’t Rent a Car Seat.
If you are renting a car,
use your own car seat. When you rent a seat you don’t know important
facts about its history that could affect its ability to protect your
child (e.g., expiration date, crash history, etc.). The good news is
that most airlines allow you to check your car seat for free.
-
TIP #5: Secure Holiday “Extras” in the Car.
Make sure that
all gifts, luggage and other objects are tightly secured in your
vehicle. These objects could become projectiles in the event of a
crash. Also, if you are traveling with your pets, make sure they are
properly restrained as well.
For additional tips and advice, including animated car seat installation
videos, visit BuckleUpforLife.org. The site is optimized for mobile so
you can access information on the go on your smart phone or tablet, and
digital resources are available in English and Spanish.
“These tips may seem simple, but they are critical for families to keep
in mind – whether you’re traveling far this holiday season or staying
local with friends and family,” said Gloria DelCastillo, child passenger
safety expert at Cincinnati Children’s and national program manager for Buckle
Up for Life. “Our goal is for every child to be safe – this holiday
season and year round.”
“We know that for many families the holidays are special – and
especially hectic,” said Latondra Newton, chief social innovation
officer of Toyota Motor North America. “But no matter how busy or
frazzled we may be this holiday season, we all must make time to help
ensure that our children are safe. That’s why these tips from Buckle
Up for Life are so important.”
Buckle Up for Life Convenes Child Passenger Safety Experts for
Twitter Chat on Holiday Travel Tips
Buckle Up for Life will host a Twitter chat today with child
passenger safety experts from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET to answer questions
about proper car seat installation, special tips for holiday travel, how
to choose the correct seat as well as common installation mistakes and
how to avoid them. You can take part by following the hashtag
#BuckleUpforLife.
The chat will feature expert advice from Gloria DelCastillo and Donna
Laake, both child passenger safety experts at Cincinnati Children’s.
The chat is part of Buckle Up for Life’s mission to educate
families about the proper use of car seats and seat belts and provide
free car seats to families in need. Over the last ten years, Buckle
Up for Life has grown to include a network of 14 of the nation’s
leading children’s hospitals and has educated more than 17,000 people.
Toyota’s sponsorship has provided funding for over 40,000 car seats for
families in need.
About Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation
among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best
Children’s Hospitals. It is also ranked in the top 10 for all 10
pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children’s, a nonprofit organization,
is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the
National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of
the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is
internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming
delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research,
education and innovation. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.
Connect on the Cincinnati
Children’s blog, via Facebook
and on Twitter.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius, is
committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our
Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more
than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than
40,000 people (more than 32,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American
dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.5 million cars and
trucks (more than 2.2 million in the U.S.) in 2013 – and about 80
percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on
the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country,
with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this
commitment, we share the company’s extensive know-how garnered from
building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other
nonprofits expand their ability to do good. For more information about
Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
1 Source: AAA http://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/11/aaa-43-4-million-americans-to-travel-for-thanksgiving-a-slight-decline-from-last-year/
Copyright Business Wire 2014