Motor Vehicle Injuries Leading Cause of Death for Children

Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The high number of fatal outcomes of these crashes could be reduced if proper use of child seats was utilized more often. "Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71 percent for infants, and by 54 percent for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years," according to the CDC website.

This week, Sept. 16-22, marks Child Passenger Safety Week, with National Seat Check on Saturday.

"The goal is to make sure all parents and caregivers are properly securing all children 12 and under in the right car restraint," according to a press release from the campaign. "According to (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), approximately 9,611 children 4 and younger have been saved from 1975 to 2010 by the proper use of car seats."

The Greenfield Fire Department, 4333 S. 92nd St., offers child car seat safety inspections for Greenfield residents by appointment. Call Dan Weber at 414-545-7946 for details.

Use this locator to find other nearby car seat inspection stations.

See the attached PDF for tips on how to pick the right car seat; plus — check out this new website: Parent Central, launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to offer parents resources for child safety in and around vehicles.