The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched its first national advertising campaign for parents of tweens -- children ages 8-14 -- to ensure their children properly and consistently wear seat belts.
NHTSA focus groups discovered that many tired parents do not enforce seat belt use when they drive their children to and from errands, school, activities and other events, and that children become less likely to buckle their seat belts as they grow older.
In the past five years, 1,552 children ages 8-14 died in vehicular accidents and that almost half of them were not wearing their seat belts. This percentage gradually grows as children become older, and the highest percentage of kids in cars without seat belts are ages 13 and 14.
“Buckling up is an important habit to instill in children at a young age,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “As parents, we need to lead by example and reinforce the message to make sure it sticks. This campaign urges parents to never give up until their kids buckle up.”
NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said there's no room for compromise when it comes to wearing a seat belt.
“Sounding like a broken record can save your child’s life," he said. "Kids need constant reminders and this is one that can’t be skipped.”
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