Gov. Jim Justice proclaims this week as Child Passenger Safety Week

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WTAP/WDTV) - Governor Jim Justice has proclaimed this week, Sept. 17-23, as Child Passenger Safety Week.

The proclamation was requested by the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP), which is working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as part of the national observation for Child Passenger Safety Week.

The week is dedicated to educating parents, grandparents, and caregivers about the importance of correctly choosing, installing, and using car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.

“It’s important to make sure your child is in a proper car seat and that they’re properly installed and the child is properly fastened into them because car seats are designed to absorb the impact in the case of a crash. In order for them to work properly you would have to make sure they are properly installed and the child is placed safely,” said Sgt. Greg Britton of the Vienna Police Department.

According to the NHTSA, of the 42,939 traffic fatalities in 2021 in the United States, 3% were children 14 and younger.

Additionally, an average of three children were killed and an estimated 445 children were injured every day in traffic crashes in the United States.

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