CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY TOOLS
The Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at CHOP offers a complete library of car seat education materials for child passenger safety practitioners, parents, and advocates. These child passenger safety tools and resources can be accessed below and include videos, fact sheets, illustrations, charts and reports.
- ChildPassengerSafety YouTube ChannelVisit
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia experts recently updated this video based on best practice recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to help parents and caregivers choose and install the appropriate rear-facing car seat for their infant or toddler.
- Child Passenger Safety Charts and Images
From 1997 to 2007, data was collected through Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS), a unique industry/academic research partnership with the goal of providing the nation’s only large-scale child-focused crash surveillance data system. This data provide a scientific foundation for legislative action and have been utilized in state and federal initiatives focused on strengthening child occupant restraint laws. The charts and images below are organized by the year of data collection and may be downloaded for non-profit, educational use with attribution given to the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In 2014, these charts were updated with generous support from the Association of Global Automakers. Global Automakers, which represents international motor vehicle manufacturers, original equipment suppliers, and other automotive-related trade associations, works with industry leaders, legislators, regulators, and other stakeholders in the United States to create public policy that improves motor vehicle safety, encourages technological innovation and protects our planet.
Risk of Child Injury By Seat Row and Restraint Type (PPT)
Risk of Child Injury By Seat Row and Restraint Type
Risk of Abdominal Injury Among Child Occupants in Crashes (PPT)
Risk of Abdominal Injury Among Child Occupants in Crashes
Effectiveness of Belt-positioning Booster Seats in Preventing Injury for 4- to 8-Year-Olds (PPT)
Effectiveness of Belt-positioning Booster Seats in Preventing Injury for 4- to 8-Year-Olds
Restraint of a 6-Year-Old in a Motor Vehicle Crash: Booster Seat vs. Lap Belt (PPT)
Restraint of a 6-Year-Old in a Motor Vehicle Crash: Booster Seat vs. Lap Belt
Restraint of a 6-Year-Old in a Motor Vehicle Crash: Booster Seat vs. Lap and Shoulder Belt (PPT)
Restraint of a 6-Year-Old in a Motor Vehicle Crash: Booster Seat vs. Lap and Shoulder Belt
Distance from Home Among Crashes Involving Children (PPT)
Distance from Home Among Crashes Involving Children
Child Restraint Use By Age (PPT)
Child Restraint Use By Age
Front Row Seating By Age Group (PPT)
Front Row Seating By Age Group
Age Distribution of Occupants in the Rear Seat (PPT)
Age Distribution of Occupants in the Rear Seat
- Child Passenger Safety Education Illustrations
CHOP has created a series of 37 educational illustrations, with descriptions in both English and Spanish, to help demonstrate proper restraint use for a variety of ages, sizes, vehicle types, and restraint types. Use these illustrations to enhance presentations, fact sheets, and brochures with accurate depictions of vehicle safety features, restraint types, and correct vs. incorrect restraint use. Illustrations are available in JPG format. Download the Illustrations Index to help you select your images.
English Illustrations Index
Spanish Illustrations Index
Infant Illustrations
3-in-1 convertible seat
Car bed installed, with baby
Infant seat with base
Infant seat with base installed with baby
Infant seat without base installed
Rear-facing convertible seat
Rear-facing convertible seat installed
Rear-facing convertible seat installed, with baby
Toddler Illustrations
3-in-1 convertible seat
Combination seat with harness
Forward-facing convertible seat
Forward-facing convertible seat
installed with child4- to 8-Year-Old Illustrations
3-in-1 convertible seat 4 to 8 year old
Backless belt-positioning booster seat
Backless booster seat installed, with child
Backless booster seat installed with child, using belt-positioning strap
Combination seat, in belt-positioning booster seat mode
High-back booster seat
High-back booster seat installed, with child
Incorrect restraint: 6-year-old in seat belt only
Incorrect restraint: 6-year-old in seat belt only, shoulder harness under arm
Incorrect restraint: 6-year-old in seat belt only, shoulder harness behind back
Movement drawing: 6-year-old in booster vs. seat belt only
Vest-type restraint installed, with child
Older Children Illustrations
Proper use of adult seat belt by 11-year-old
Special Needs Illustrations
Car bed installed, with infant
Vest-type restraint installed, with child
LATCH Illustrations
Rigid-type LATCH attachment
Strap-type LATCH attachment
Seat installed in minivan/SUV with LATCH, using top tether
Seat installed in sedan with LATCH, using top tether
Air Bag Illustrations
Location of curtain air bags
Deployed air bags, front seat
Location of driver-side air bag
Location of front passenger-side air bag
Location of side air bag in door
Location of side air bag in seat
Seat Belts and Other Vehicle Components
Lap/shoulder belt in rear center seating position (sedan)
Seat belt adjuster (rear row)
Rear seat of pickup truck
Rear-facing third row seat (station wagon)
Improper vs. proper positioning of a lap belt: Seat Belt Syndrome
Incorrect Restraint
Incorrect restraint: 6-year-old in seat belt only
Incorrect restraint: 6-year-old in seat belt only, shoulder harness behind back
Incorrect restraint: 6-year-old in seat belt only, shoulder harness under arm
Movement drawing: 6-year-old in booster vs. seat belt only
- Child Passenger Safety Tip Card for PoliceDownload
This pocket-sized tip card has just the basics about CPS to provide law enforcement with the knowledge they need to write citations or warnings and to provide guidance during a routine traffic stop. Originally distributed to law enforcement in 2007 in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association, it has been updated in 2020 to reflect the most current AAP recommendations.
- A Guide to the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) Recommendations View
The AAP has revised its recommendations for keeping children safe in vehicles. We provide multimedia materials explaining the research behind these changes and what parents need to know to keep their children safe as motor vehicle passengers.
- Educational Fact Sheets
Download these single-page, black-and-white, photocopier-friendly educational tools designed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics for distribution and use in pediatric practices. They address the many questions parents and caregivers may have about car seat education, including safe seating positions for children, use of belts and tethers, safe cars for families, correct belt-positioning booster seat use, transitioning children to adult seat belts, and helping teens to be smart passengers.
For Your Family: Safe Seating Positions
For Your Family: Belt-Positioning Booster Seats
Download this educational tool designed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics for distribution and use in pediatric practices. This educational fact sheet addresses the many questions parents and caregivers may have about car seat education, including correct belt-positioning booster seat use andtransitioning children to adult seat belts.
For Your Family: Family Restraint Checklist
Download this educational tool designed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics for distribution and use in pediatric practices. This resource lists the types of restraints and explains the proper restraint for each child's age and size. This checklist can be filled out by a parent, child passenger safety technician, or physician and then shared with all drivers that will be transporting a child.
Legislative Fact Sheet- Using Evidence to Close Gaps In Laws: Good Policy Protects Child Passengers
Advocates can download this four-color, double-sided quick-reference fact sheet to illustrate the importance of laws requiring use of child restraints (such as boosters) to age 8 and rear seat placement up to age 13, as well as seat belt laws that cover all seating positions in a vehicle. It's a handy tool to use in presentations or for state legislative hearings.
Fotonovela
This Spanish-language fotonovela was developed as an educational tool to promote booster seats among Latino communities.
