WHEREAS, car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13 years old, more than 43,000 children ages 0 to 15 years old are also involved in a motor vehicle crash each year in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, proper child safety seat installation is critical to protecting and saving the lives of children involved in crashes; child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers; and
WHEREAS, premature safety belt usage for children ages 2 to 5 years old are four times more like to suffer serious head injury in a crash than those in child safety seats or booster seats; and
WHEREAS, nearly 30 percent of children under the age of 7, and more than 31 percent of children ages 8 to 15 years old who were killed or seriously injured in passenger vehicle crashes in our state between 2012 and 2018 were improperly restrained or unrestrained; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina’s Child Passenger Safety Law is one of the strongest and most enforceable laws in the nation, mandating the use of restraints for children who are less than 8 years old and less than 80 pounds; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina is committed to child passenger safety; our state has a vast network of more than 3,400 nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians representing 82 counties, 261 car seat permanent checking stations where people can be educated on how to properly install child safety seats, and www.buckleupnc.org, a website devoted to child passenger safety; and
WHEREAS, law enforcement and educational efforts through funding from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program assist in the prevention of deaths and injuries by proper use of car seats, boosters and seat belts; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina urges all parents, guardians and caregivers to obey North Carolina’s Child Passenger Safety Law by guaranteeing that all children are always properly restrained;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim September 19-25, 2021, as “CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK AND NATIONAL SEAT CHECK SATURDAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.