Denver – The number of children, newborn to age 14, killed in traffic crashes in Colorado has dropped 36 percent since 2003, but the reduction in young fatalities has stalled in the past three years, reported the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). From 2005 to 2007, the number of children under age 15 killed in crashes has remained at 19 each year. CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol and other members of Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Team Colorado aim to reduce those deaths by urging parents, caregivers and children to buckle up, and ensure that their booster and child safety seats are properly installed, particularly as we head into Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 20-27.

“We’ve made great progress in Colorado to get more infants and young children properly restrained in child safety seats, but there is still a great deal of education that needs to be done, especially about the importance of getting kids to continue to buckle up as they get older,” said Pam Hutton, CDOT’s Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety. “We continue to see a high number of older children dying needlessly because they’re not in booster seats or wearing their seat belts.”

From 2003 to 2007, 115 child passengers were killed in crashes in Colorado, and 63% (72) were not using a child safety seat seatbelt, or were improperly restrained. Nearly half (47%) of those killed were ages 8 to 14, and 70% of this age group were not buckled up. One-quarter of the children killed were ages 4 to 7, and more than half (53%) in this age group were not restrained.

Child safety seat use among infants and children under age 4 is 86.9% in Colorado, according to the 2008 Colorado Child Safety Restraint & Juvenile Seat Belt Study. For children 5 to 15 years old, seat belt use drops to 71.3%.

“Parents are getting the message that child safety seats are important for babies, but as children get older, they need to remember to transition them to booster seats until they are physically big enough to fit into a safety belt that is designed for the adult body,” said Cpl. Eric Wynn, Colorado State Patrol. “We must emphasize to kids how critical it is to buckle up. As parents, we choose our battles with our kids, but booster seats and seat belt use should not be negotiable. It’s a matter of safety and it’s the law. Ultimately, it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure all young passengers are safely buckled up in the restraint that is required for their age, height or weight.”

Colorado’s child passenger safety law:

• State law requires infants to ride in a rear-facing child safety seat until they are at least 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds.
• State law requires children ages 1 to 4 years old that weigh from 20 pounds up to 40 pounds to be restrained in a forward-facing child safety seat. (However, safety experts strongly recommend children stay in rear facing safety seats that will accommodate higher weights to 30-35 pounds, up to about 2 years old).
• State law requires that children who weigh over 40 pounds or are at least 4 years old be properly restrained in a child booster seat or with a child safety belt-positioning device until they are 6 years old or 55 inches tall. (However, safety experts strongly recommend children stay in booster seats until they are 57 inches tall or 8 years old).
• A child who is at least 6 years old or at least 55" tall must be properly restrained with a safety belt.

Safety experts recommend children ride in the back seat until they are at least 13 years old. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia showed children are much less likely to be fatally injured in the back seat. In Colorado, 1 out of 3 children killed between 2003-2007 were riding in the front passenger seat, and 67% were under age 13.

“Children have important anatomical and developmental differences compared to adults that predispose them to increased risks of head, spinal cord, and abdominal organ injuries that result primarily from improper seat belt fit or positioning in the car,” said Dr. Todd Porter, pediatrician at Children’s Medical Center and member of the Denver Metro Safe Kids coalition. “Give children the best chances of surviving a crash by using the proper child safety seat for their size, and not allowing them to use an adult safety belt until they are at least 4-foot, 9-inches tall.”

During national Child Passenger Safety Week, September 20-27, CPS Team Colorado and CDOT are partnering with several Denver metro area schools and school districts to raise awareness of Child Passenger Safety Week, hand out materials to students and parents, and post information within the schools. Additionally, CPS Team Colorado will hold car seat check-up events around the state to help parents make sure their child’s car seat is installed correctly. In Colorado, 90% of child safety seats are improperly installed. Check-up events during CPS Week include: Saturday, Sept. 20:
Akron – Saturday, September 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Child Seat Check-Up Event at Spicknall’s Pontiac Dealership, Hwy 34
Lakewood – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Give Kids a Boost for a Buck -- Low-cost booster seat distribution and CPS check-up event. West Metro Fire Rescue Headquarters, 433 S. Allison Parkway.
Paonia – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Child safety seat check station at Dons Market parking lot, 213 Second Street
Thursday, September 25:
Fort Lupton – Injury Free Coalition for Kids child safety seat check, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Fort Lupton Fire Department
Saturday, Sept. 27:
Denver – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Child Safety Seat Check-Up Event at Invesco Field at Mile High, Parking lot M. (One Block south of Colfax Ave. on Federal Blvd. Enter at W. Howard Place)
Englewood – 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Child Seat Check-Up Event at Burt Chevrolet on Broadway, 5200 S. Broadway
Lamar – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Child Safety Seat Check-Up Event, Lamar Fire Dept., 505 Main Street.
La Junta – 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Child Safety Seat Check-Up Event, Wal-Mart, 6 Conley Road.

For those unable to attend one of the special check-up events, CPS Team Colorado has established more than 100 permanent Fit Stations across the state and has more than 1,200 certified technicians who can be contacted for assistance by going online at www.carseatscolorado.com or by calling 877-LUV-TOTS (877-588-8687).

"This is the first generation of kids to use car seats, booster seats and seat belts consistently, and we want to keep them on track as the safest generation when it comes to vehicle safety," said Leslie Feuerborn, Safe Kids Denver Metro coordinator and certified CPS Technician. “Members of the child passenger safety community, including Safe Kids, remind parents, relatives, parents, coaches and others who influence these children to help them make good safety decisions by making sure they are buckled up appropriately when riding with friends and neighbors, on the way to school or practice or whenever they ride in a vehicle."