Buckle Up!

Valley fire officials join forces to encourage residents to use safety belts and car seats

You buckle your shoes and buckle your belts, now Valley safety officials want you to add one more thing to your daily routine—buckle that car seat and safety belt.

Not using restraint systems in a vehicle is a leading cause of deaths in vehicle accidents, and safety officials are aiming to reduce the growing number of children and adults injured or killed by educating the public on the proper ways to use seatbelts and child safety seats.

Important General Tips

• Kids ride in the back. Infants should never ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag. Children, typically ages 12 and under, also should ride buckled up in the back seat.
  
  
• Never carry a child in your arms while riding in a motor vehicle. You cannot protect them during a crash.
  
  
• Use child safety seats. Young children and infants always should ride in age- and size-appropriate child safety seats. The safety seat should be held properly in place by the vehicle's safety belts and the child should be correctly buckled in the child safety seat. A child who has outgrown a convertible child safety seat will need to ride in a booster seat for the vehicle's safety belts to fit properly.
  
  
• Wear both lap and shoulder belts. The shoulder strap should cross the collarbone, and the lap belt should fit low and tight. The shoulder strap should never be slipped behind the back or under the arm—this is a dangerous habit, especially in cars with air bags.
  
  
• Move the front seats back. Driver and front passenger seats should be moved as far back as possible, particularly for shorter people.
  
  
• Don’t recline. Never recline your seat while wearing a seat belt in a moving vehicle.
  
  
• Take up the slack. Remove all slack from the lap and shoulder belt to ensure a tight fit.
  
  
• Read the directions. Read your vehicle manual and child restraint instructions for additional seat belt and child restraint information.

Fast Facts

• According to the Arizona Safe Kids Coalition, a statewide program dedicated to preventing injuries in Arizona’s children, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury.
  
  
• The coalition also reports that more than 10 percent of Arizona’s children ride unrestrained.
  
  
• The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety reports that more than 80 percent of safety seats are installed or used incorrectly.
  
  
• Child safety seats are more than 70 percent effective in reducing fatalities among children younger than 1.

For more information on teens and traffic safety, click here to view a PDF from the Arizona Department of Health Services.