DETROIT – Over the years, Ruth to the Rescue has sounded the alarm on car seat safety, but a new survey shows some parents still aren't getting the message.
The research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found 20 percent of parents admitted they don't read instruction manuals for installing safety seats.
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NHTSA says the biggest mistakes they found were related to using the wrong slots for seat belts, or leaving the seats too loose. But, they also found about 90 percent of parents were confident their kids were buckled in safely.
Also, NHTSA officials say traffic crashes are the number-one killer of children age one to 12.
National Seat Check Day is Saturday
On Sept. 22, AAA Michigan is teaming with DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan and Kohl's Injury Prevention Program for a free child safety seat inspection event. It will be held at the AAA Michigan
Headquarters parking lot in Dearborn.
More than 50 child passenger safety technicians will provide inspections for proper seat installation, information for selecting the right child safety seat and ensure seats currently installed are not on the recall list. The safety seat check is open to the public. No need for pre-registration. Parents will bring children and their child safety seats in their vehicles.
The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the AAA Michigan Headquarters, located at One Auto Club Drive, Dearborn. The event will be held in the parking lot facing Hubbard Drive.
The event coincides with "National Seat Check Saturday." Estimates are that deaths and injuries of children improperly seated in vehicles could be reduced by half if every child passenger was properly restrained in vehicles.