Media release from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety:
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) encourages all parents and guardians to have their child’s car seat checked to ensure their precious cargo is riding the right safety seat based upon the child’s height and weight.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has designated September 21-27, 2025 as National Child Passenger Safety Week. While many car seat fitting stations in Georgia have free seat checks scheduled during the week, parents and caregivers are encouraged to make an appointment to ensure availability.
According to NHTSA, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children. Every day in 2023, an average of two children under 14 were killed in crashes, and another 345 were injured in traffic crashes while riding in passenger vehicles.
Georgia law requires all children under 57 inches to ride in a safety seat that meets the seat’s manufacturer guidelines for that child based on their height and weight. State law also requires children under eight years of age to ride in the back seat of a vehicle and all children under 16 must wear a seat belt no matter where they are riding in a vehicle.
“Too many child safety seats found on the road are not properly installed and could cause the seat to not work as designed to protect a child in the event of a crash,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said. “While the goal is for no one to be involved in a traffic crash, a child safety seat is most effective in protecting its occupant when it is installed properly.”
During the child safety seat checks, child passenger safety technicians (CPSTs) will look to see if the seat is installed properly, ensure the child safety seat is not under a recall and show parent(s)/caregiver(s) how to secure the child in the safety seat. CPSTs will also gather information about child occupants from the vehicle owner to make certain the child safety seat is appropriate for the size and age of the child.
For more information on child passenger safety in Georgia, visit the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety website at www.gahighwaysafety.org or on our social media channels.