National Seat Check Saturday is a day that’s observed on the fourth Saturday in September every year. It’s a day that encourages everyone with children to use their child safety seats properly so that they can prevent their children from being injured or killed should they be in an accident.

Every 30 seconds, a child under the age of 13 years old is injured in an automobile accident, and that’s why it’s extremely important for all of us to keep that in mind as we’re observing this holiday. The proper use of seatbelts is the number one thing that childcare providers and parents can do to avoid injury or death to young children.

The History Of National Seat Check Saturday

National Seat Check Saturday was created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration—also known as the NHTSA. Although we’re unsure what year they created this holiday, we do know that it’s been observed for years now.

Facts About Safety Belts And Children’s Safety

Below are some of the statistics about children’s safety in automobiles and how safety restraints protect children from accidents.

• Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children.
• Approximately 38% of children who died in 2019 while riding in passenger vehicles were unrestrained.
• An estimated 46% of car and booster seats are misused or improperly installed and that could reduce their effectiveness in an accident.

Observing National Seat Check Saturday

It’s important for everyone to know the regulations about children’s age, weight, and height restrictions for children in booster seats, safety belts, and child seats. Using the proper method of restraint for a child is the best way to ensure that a child is safe during an accident.

It’s also important that the booster seat or child seat is properly installed and hasn’t been in previous accidents. While observing this holiday, everyone should use the hashtag #SeatCheckSaturday to spread the word about this important holiday.