U.S. Department of Transportation and the Ad Council Kick Off Child Passenger Safety Week

Safety seats, if used correctly, can dramatically reduce the risk of fatality or injury to children involved in car crashes. Therefore, even if you think you have your child in the right car seat, you should check again to be sure, as the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that approximately 59 percent of car seats are misused. Furthermore, in 2013 more than one-third of children killed in car crashes were completely unrestrained – meaning that they were not in car seats, booster seats or wearing seat belts.

As part of Child Passenger Safety Week from September 13 to September 19, 2015, NHTSA has teamed up with the Ad Council to launch a new series of public service ads (PSAs) that urge parents to protect their child’s future at every stage of life, by making sure they secure them in the correct car seat for their age, height, and weight. The new campaign materials were created pro bono by Casanova and Misterface and include English and Spanish radio, print, outdoor and web banner ads. The Spanish ads direct to www.SaferCar.gov/protegidos where parents can find more information on how to determine if their child is in the right seat for his or her age and size.

“Protecting our children – the most vulnerable passengers – should be everyone’s safety priority” said NHTSA Administrator, Mark Rosekind. “Parents and caregivers are the first line of protection by ensuring that car seats are installed properly, that children are in the right seat and buckled in correctly. Car seats provide life-saving and injury-reducing benefits for child passengers.”

“We all want to do everything we can to make sure our children are safe, but every day in America too many children are riding in the wrong car seats or without any kind of restraint at all,” added Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “By making sure you know the right size seat for your child, how to install it properly, and when it’s time to change to a bigger seat, you can make sure your child is as safe as possible.”

“This campaign is not about death; it is about life, about dreams. It is a plea to parents in the present in order to ensure our kid’s future. Although the statistics about the deaths and injuries caused by crashes are scary, we don’t want to scare parents, we want to inspire them,” said Elias Weinstock, Chief Creative Officer of Casanova Pendrill.