You Don’t Have to be Perfect to be a Perfect Parent

Do your children argue about buckling their safety belts? The Ad Council along with the U.S. Department of Transportation reminds us that, even though life as a parent is full of compromises, seat belt safety should never be one of them.

From 2011 to 2015, 343,322 children ages eight to 14 were injured while traveling in passenger vehicles, and an additional 1,692 children died. A full 50% of them were unrestrained at the time of the crash. Those are sobering statistics leading one to think, “if only they had been buckled.”

This spring, the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are unveiling new PSAs featuring characters from Fox’s upcoming summer road trip adventure, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. The PSAs encourage parents to review child passenger safety guidelines to discuss seat belt safety with their children.

Per data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 65,000 tweens are injured every year in car crashes and 60% of the 14-year-old children killed in car crashes were unrestrained at the time of the crash.

The new Seat Belt Safety campaign pulls from the insight that as a parent, sometimes you have to let your kids have their way. But your kid’s safety should never be up for negotiation, no matter how much they push back on the seat belts being uncomfortable, unnecessary for just a "short drive” or any other excuses. The campaign utilizes the concept that “life as a parent is full of compromises, but seat belt safety for my children is not up for negotiation.”

The campaign offers these tips to get your kids to buckle up properly the whole ride, every time:

Elementary School-Aged Children (Typically ages 8 to 12)

Emphasize short-term consequences and rewards. For example, consider handing over or withholding your child’s electronic device as a reward or punishment for wearing or not wearing a seat belt. Here are some tactics to try:

• “After you buckle up, you can play with your [electronic device].”
• “Not buckling up means not going to [that super-fun place]. It’s your choice—buckle up, or we stay home.”
• “I know we take this [short] trip every day, but most deadly crashes happen near people’s homes.”
• “We may be driving slowly, but most deadly crashes happen at speeds of less than 40 miles an hour.”

Middle School-Age Children (Typically Ages 13 to 14)
This age group is motivated by the law—for example, seeing the police. Also, young teens tend to go along with wearing a seat belt because you can more easily see them when they’re in the front seat. Let these kids know about the seat belt laws in your State and try some of these tactics:

• “If the police see you’re not wearing a seatbelt, I could be fined and that’s going to come out of your allowance.”
• “Most fatal crashes happen within 25 miles from home and at speeds of less than 40 miles per hour.”

Never give up, until they buckle up.
For more information, visit SaferCar.gov/KidsBuckleUp. If you have a great tip, join the conversation on social media using: #KidsBuckleUp