Highways

National Child Passenger Safety Week Sept. 19-25

By: Christy Cowser

Car seats and boosters provide protection for infants and children in a crash.

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children 12 years of age and younger.

According to the most current national data, an average of two children under the age of 13 are killed and another 351 are injured every day. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, up to the top height and weight allowed by the particular seats.

It is the best way to keep them safe.

Once a child outgrows the rearfacing car seat, he or she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether.

Although Hawaii’s statistics are lower than the national average, we need to continue to use child safety seats to ensure that all of our keiki make it home safely every day.

National research shows that child passenger restraints can reduce deaths by as much as 71 percent.

To best protect our keiki, all parents and caregivers should follow Hawaii’s law and national best practices.

Hawaii’s law requires our infants from birth to at least one year old and at least twenty pounds must ride in rear-facing seats and keiki under the age of four to ride in a child safety seat and children ages of four through seven to ride in a child safety seat or a booster seat when traveling in a motor vehicle. After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat, a child should be placed in a booster seat until tall enough to fit in a seat belt properly. The safest place for all kids under 13 is in the back seat.

During this week, certified child passenger safety technicians will offer free virtual car seat safety checks and education to parents and caregivers as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from September 19-25, 2021.

The week is dedicated to teaching parents and caregivers about the importance of correctly choosing, installing, and using car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.

By: Rachel Roper

Throwback Fun Fact

A while back, my boyfriend bought a bunch of used books from a library book sale.

Buried in the pages of one, was this fun throwback item: a receipt for gas from September 19, 1965.

Highways

Because the receipt is faded, it is a little difficult to read, but if you look closely, you can see that the total was a whopping $4.74.

Gas receipt from 9/19/65. (Purchaser’s and seller’s information redacted).

That’s about $30 less than what I pay each time I fill my car with gas.

The back of the receipt shows that the federal gas tax $0.04/gallon (compared to $0.184 today) and the Hawaii state gas tax was $0.09 (compared to $0.16 today).

If any of you have a throwback transportation photo to share in next month’s newsletter, send them along with a caption to Rachel.LA.Roper@ hawaii.gov by September 15, 2021.

SAFETY WEEK continued from page 10

Parents will also be reminded of the importance of registering car seats with their manufacturers so they can be notified in the event of a recall.

The virtual car seat checks will be conducted as part of National Seat Check Saturday on September 25th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include instruction on how to install and use car seats correctly.

Technicians will also help determine if your child is in the right seat for their age and size and explain the importance of registering car seats with their manufacturers so parents and caregivers can be notified if there is a recall.

To make an appointment for a free virtual one-onone car seat check call (808) 527-2588.

Click here for additional information.