46% of all children aren’t
buckled up correctly.
Properly installed car seats, used correctly, can save lives. Most parents believe their children are properly buckled up, but this staggering statistic is a reminder that everyone with a child passenger needs to use the right seat, and use it correctly.
TxDOT offers free child safety seat inspections year-round at its district offices throughout the state. Safety seat inspections usually take 20 to 30 minutes and are just the thing to assure that you’re doing everything possible to protect your child in a moving vehicle.
Sign up for a car seat check by typing your zip code in the box below to send an email to a TxDOT Traffic Safety Specialist near you.
Make sure your child Is in a properly installed and correct size car seat.
Any child 2 or older who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for a car seat should use a forward-facing car seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer. This also applies to any child younger than 2 years who has outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of their seat.
When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection. Lap portion should be low over the hips/tops of the thighs (not over the stomach) and shoulder belt should cross the center of the shoulder and center of the chest (not the neck). Children younger than 13 years old are safest in the back seat.
#EndTheStreakTX
“Save Me With a Seat” is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel, like wearing a seat belt, driving the speed limit, never texting and driving, never driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and using a car seat properly.
Nov. 7, 2000 was the last deathless day on Texas roadways. #EndTheStreakTX asks all Texans to commit to driving safely to help end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways.