America’s National Safety Council has released an introductory e-learning course for parents and caregivers focused on child passenger safety.
Titled “Car Seat Basics,” the free online course, helps participants understand the four phases of child passenger safety: rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, booster seats and seat belts.
Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and 14, according to the safety organization, while National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) figures show that 35 percent of children who died in traffic crashes in 2018 in the U.S. were unrestrained and many others were inadequately restrained. The NHTSA estimates car seats are installed or used incorrectly in 46 percent of cases, and when drivers are unrestrained, 63 percent of children are also unrestrained.
“We see these e-learning courses as innovative and engaging, and they will change how we deliver child passenger safety information,” said Tammy Franks, National Child Passenger Safety Board secretariat and NSC program manager for child passenger safety curriculum development.
