Lake County Sheriff’s Office participates in Child Passenger Safety Week

WAUKEGAN -- From Sep. 20 to Sept. 30, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to focus on the safety of young children traveling in the community.

During this campaign, sheriff’s deputies will conduct increased enforcement with a special emphasis on ensuring children in vehicles are properly secured.

According to NHTSA, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children. Every day in 2022, an average of three children 14 and younger were killed in crashes, and an additional 429 were injured.

NHTSA also reports that 39% of children 14 and younger who died in crashes in 2022 in cars, pickups, vans and SUVs were unbuckled. What’s more, 52% of child passengers 14 and younger killed in pickup trucks in 2022 were unrestrained – more than any other vehicle category.

Bigger vehicles don’t protect child passengers, but car seats, booster seats, and seat belts do.

State law requires all children under age 8 to be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system as determined by their size and weight. Children ages 8 to 15 must be secured in a child restraint system or a seat belt. All passengers over age 15 must be secured in a seat belt.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has child safety seat technicians who can answer questions about child restraint systems and check your system to ensure it is properly installed. Please contact Sgt. Ari Briskman at ABriskman@lakecountyil.gov for information.

The campaign is funded by federal traffic safety funds from NHTSA administered by IDOT.