Three out of four children are not properly restrained, so here are three ways to know for sure your child is safely buckled in.

Why should you care?

So far in 2017, 178 Colorado children have been killed or injured on Colorado roads. That's according to Colorado State Patrol Trooper Tim Sutherland. Earlier this year, during a two-week enforcement period, 226 citations were issued for an improperly restrained child. In Colorado, a driver can be stopped and cited if law enforcement spots an improperly restrained child.

Some examples of an improperly restrained child would be an improperly installed car seat, a car seat that does not fit a child based on size, and not properly securing the seatbelt or harness.

The CSP and CDOT offer these three tips to make sure your child is safely secured in your car.

  • To make sure your car seat is installed properly, visit a certified safety technician. There is a list of inspection stations online.
  • Review car seat recommendations and double check to make sure your child is in the right seat for their age and size.
  • Make sure the harness over the car seat is secure. If you can still pinch the fabric of the harness between your fingers, it's too loose.

This happens to be Child Passenger Safety Week, so it's a good time to make sure that you are in compliance with state laws and recommendations. It will keep you out of trouble -- and most importantly, it can keep your child safe.

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