Child passenger safety is the focus of Child Passenger Safety Week, September 20–26, 2026. This national campaign highlights a simple and effective way to protect children in motor vehicle crashes. Most importantly, every child should be in the right car seat, booster seat or seat belt. Every child should also be buckled in correctly on every ride.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 677 children age 14 and younger died while riding in passenger vehicles in 2024. Among children killed in passenger vehicle crashes, 39% were unrestrained.
The Right Car Seat Can Save a Life
Children need different protection as they grow. However, moving them to the next stage too soon can put them at risk.
Correctly installed car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers. Therefore, young children should remain in a harnessed car seat until they reach its height or weight limit.
Older children need protection, too. Booster seats reduce the risk of serious injury by 45% for children weighing 40–100 pounds, compared with seat belts alone. In fact, many children still need a booster until age 12, when an adult seat belt finally fits correctly.
Is Your Child Buckled In Correctly?
Having the right car seat isn’t enough. The seat must be installed correctly, and the child must be properly secured.
Harness straps should lie flat and fit snugly, with the chest clip at armpit level. About half of car seats are installed or used incorrectly.
A certified Child Passenger Safety Technician can check your child’s seat and show you how to use it correctly.
Not sure your child is in the right seat or buckled in correctly?
Watch NHTSA’s short instructional videos for rear-facing seats, forward-facing seats, booster seats and seat belts. (You’ll find the videos a little farther down the page.)
WATCH NHTSA’s CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY VIDEOS
Right seat, right installation, right fit. Every ride.
Child Passenger Safety in Native Communities
The need is especially urgent in Native communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle traffic death rates among American Indian and Alaska Native children and youth have been up to eight times as high as rates among other racial and ethnic groups.
Among American Indian and Alaska Native children age 8 and younger who died in passenger vehicle crashes, almost half were unrestrained. Car-seat and booster-seat use also remains lower among Native children than among other racial and ethnic groups.
Buckle Up Navajo: Turning Awareness Into Action
Thanks to generous donors and our partnership with the New Mexico Governor’s Commission on Disability, Eve’s Fund helped 100 New Mexico children ride more safely with properly fitted car and booster seats—and showed families how to buckle them in correctly.
See child passenger safety in action. Watch our Buckle Up Navajo video on YouTube to see how Eve’s Fund and our ThinkFirst Navajo are helping Native families keep children safer on every ride.
Through Buckle Up Navajo initiative, Eve’s Fund helps parents and caregivers choose the right seat for their child and learn how to use it correctly. In addition, families receive hands-on guidance about proper fit, installation and buckling.
WATCH BUCKLE UP NAVAJO ON YOUTUBE
Check Your Child’s Car Seat
Parents, grandparents and caregivers can use NHTSA resources to find the right seat for a child. They can also locate a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician for a car-seat inspection. Local police departments and fire stations are also good places to seek resources.
Even if you think your child’s seat is installed correctly, consider having it checked. A technician can identify simple problems that are easy to fix.
Find a car seat check near you by clicking here: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/car-seats-and-booster-seats
Help Us Put More Children in the Right Seat
The need continues. Through ThinkFirst Navajo, Eve’s Fund wants to provide more Native families with the car and booster seats their children need to ride safely.
Your gift can help us purchase more seats and provide child passenger safety education. As a result, more families can learn how to use their children’s seats correctly. Every additional seat puts another child on the road more safely.
A car or booster seat may seem like a simple thing. Used correctly, it can prevent a devastating injury—and save a child’s life. Please help us purchase more car and booster seats by donating online through the link below.
If you prefer to donate offline, please mail a check to us at: Eve’s Fund, PO Box 3592, Newport, RI 02840.
P.S. Want to double your impact? Many employers offer corporate matching programs! Check with your HR department to see if your gift can go twice as far.
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