INDIANAPOLIS — This is National Child Passenger Safety Week. It's an important issue because car crashes are the leading cause of death for kids aged 14 and under.
In 2021, 755 kids died in car crashes across the country — 43% of them were not using a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) says the right equipment makes a big difference. It reduces the risk of death in a crash by 71% for infants, and by 54% for toddlers.
But finding the right car seat can be difficult, and making sure you're using one properly after you find it, isn't always easy either.
That's why the NHTSA has created a website called "Find the Right Seat." It lets you put in your child's age, weight, and height. Then it'll tell you the type of car seat your child needs. For instance, a 5-year-old child who is just over 3 1/2 feet tall and almost 50 pounds could use a front facing seat or a booster.
The website also has lists of seats that should fit your child, and what configuration to use them in. For instance, that 5-year-old might fit in the front facing version of one seat, and need the booster version of another. The site even has safety ratings for the different configurations of a seat, so you know what to expect.