Child safety seats and seat belts are essential for protecting your children in case of a car accident. However, these child passenger safety devices must be used properly to be effective. As a driver, you are responsible for child passenger safety -- we can help you understand how to keep kids safe while driving.

Fact:
On average, seven children age 14 and under are killed in traffic accidents each day. (Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

Non-use of seat belts is a conscious, albeit life-threatening, decision by thousands of adult drivers and passengers. Unfortunately, children often are the unwitting victims of this behavior. In fact, research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that when a driver is unbuckled, children in the same car are properly restrained less than 25 percent of the time.

A recent survey of 423 grade school children conducted by Progressive found that 67 percent of children surveyed said they learn driving safety "from a parent." Only 47 percent of children surveyed, however, said that the first thing their parents do when getting into a car is put on a seat belt.

Facts such as these have led Progressive to support programs like Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children, which proposes stronger enforcement nationwide of child passenger safety laws. Progressive also has developed television Public Service Announcements calling attention to the importance of the use of proper child safety restraints.

Seat belt tips for child passenger safety:

• All children age 12 and under should be buckled up in the rear seat of the vehicle.
• Children should ride in an appropriate child safety seat until 8 years of age.
• Holding a child in your lap provides no additional safety. An unrestrained 10-pound infant would instantly be ripped from an adult's arms in a 30-mph collision.
• Don't place a single belt over yourself and a child. The child could be crushed by your body in the case of a front-end collision.
• A seat belt must be adjusted to the size of a child. As is the case with adults, the lap belt should cross the child's upper thighs and the diagonal belt should cross the upper chest and a point between the neck and the center of the shoulder.
• Children should continue to use a belt-positioning booster until the lap/shoulder belts fit properly and the child's legs are long enough to bend at the edge of the seat.

Child safety seat tips:
Safety requirements change as children grow. Learn the basic facts for proper use of child safety seats.

• Infants - From birth to one year and at least 20 lbs., infants should be placed in rear-facing child safety seats in the back seat of the car. The harness straps should be at or below shoulder level.
• Toddlers - From one year and at least 20 lbs. to 40 lbs., toddlers should be placed in forward-facing child safety seats in the back seat of the car. The harness straps should be at or above the shoulders. Children who are less than one year but weigh more than 20 lbs. should ride in restraint seats approved for higher rear-facing weights.
• Young children - Children over 40 lbs. but less than 4'9" in height should be placed in forward-facing booster seats in the back seat of the car. Lap belts should fit low and tight across the thighs, and shoulder belts should fit snugly across the chest and shoulder to prevent abdominal injuries.

Child passenger safety facts:

• Safety education is working. Car accident fatalities for children under five dropped from 706 in 2000 to 668 in 2001. The number of fatalities for children ages five to 15 dropped from 2,105 to 1,990 in 2001. (Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
• Child safety seats save lives. Correct use of a child safety seat can reduce the risk of accident-related injuries and deaths by more than 70 percent. (Source: NHTSA)
• Seat belts can ensure child passenger safety. Six out of 10 children who die in passenger vehicle crashes are unbelted. (Source: NHTSA)