In advance of National Child Passenger Safety Week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and its safety partners are reminding parents and caregivers about the importance of properly securing children when traveling in a motorized vehicle.
This year’s awareness campaign runs from Sunday, September 20 through Saturday, September 26, 2026, with a theme of “In It to Win It – Safety Starts with the Right Seat.”
“The first step to protecting children when riding in a vehicle is making sure they are properly buckled in each time to maximize the potential safety benefits in the event of a crash,” said Mike Tautin, a Community Traffic Safety Project Coordinator with the Highway Safety Network. “Car seats, booster seats, and seat belts are proven tools to save lives, but they must be used correctly to be effective.”
Between 2021 and 2025, 81% of the children under age 4 who were involved in crashes and restrained in the right child seat sustained no injuries, according to the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP).
Pennsylvania’s occupant protection law for children is as follows:
- Birth to Age 2 – Must be secured in a rear-facing car seat.
- Age 2 to 4 – Must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat anywhere in the vehicle and should be in a rear-facing seat until the child outgrows the maximum weight and height limits designated by the car seat manufacturer.
- Ages 4 to 7 – Must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat and use a harness belt.
- Ages 8 and 18 – Must be in a seat belt regardless of where they are seated in the vehicle.
After a car seat has been successfully installed, drivers are encouraged to register it with the manufacturer to receive important information on recalls and safety notices.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also offers the free “SaferCar” app for travelers to stay up to date on critical safety recalls on their vehicles and car seats.
PennDOT provides funding for more than 75 fitting stations where trained technicians will check a child safety seat to ensure it is properly installed. Parents and caregivers can utilize the PA TIPP fitting station directory or NHTSA’s car seat inspection search to find a nearby site.
Furthermore, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) will be hosting free events across the state in connection with Child Passenger Safety week where trained technicians can assist drivers install or inspect their child’s safety seat free of charge. A full listing of events is available on the PSP official website at www.psp.pa.gov.
For more information on child passenger safety, visit www.pa.gov/DOTSafety.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.pa.gov/DOTDistrict1.
Follow local PennDOT news on X and like the department on Facebook.
MEDIA CONTACT: Saxon Daugherty, sadaughert@pa.gov or 814-678-7095
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