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Child Safety

About

Children rely on adults to keep them safe, in and outside of the vehicle, which is why it’s so important to include child safety in a communication plan. We offer communication material related to child passenger safety, including car and booster seats, and pediatric heatstroke prevention. 

Many assets are available in English and Spanish. Share this information with partner organizations to help spread the message across all communities.

Key Dates 

  • May: Heatstroke Prevention Day is May 1.
  • September: Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week is September 15-21, 2024, with September 21 highlighted as National Seat Check Saturday.

Campaigns

Car Seats, Boosters & Seat Belts

Resources to help keep children safe in vehicles, this includes car seats, boosters, and seat belts for tweens. Also, get material for Child Passenger Safety Week.

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Vehicular Heatstroke Prevention

Resources to help educate parents and caregivers about the dangers of hot cars, including children getting trapped in an unlocked vehicle, being forgotten or left.

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Facts

Child safety facts, stats and reports from NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis

Get More Facts & Reports
  • Of the 42,939 traffic fatalities in 2021 in the United States, 1,184 (3%) were children 14 and younger.
  • Child traffic fatalities increased by 8% from 2020 (1,101) to 2021 (1,184).
  • An estimated 162,298 children were injured in traffic crashes in 2021, a 17% increase from 139,058 in 2020.
  • An average of 3 children were killed and an estimated 445 children were injured every day in traffic crashes in 2021. 
  • Of the 26,325 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2021 in traffic crashes, 863 (3%) were children. Of these 863 child passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes, restraint use was known for 769, of whom 308 (40%) were unrestrained.
  • In 2021, based on known restraint use, 69% of the children riding with unrestrained passenger vehicle drivers were also unrestrained.

For facts translated in Spanish, visit NHTSA.gov/Espanol.

Additional Resources