It's a news story covered by the Victoria Advocate that is hard on your heart to read.

Yesterday afternoon around 3 pm, at the intersection of SH185 and Farm to Market 1686, a single-car crash killed a 3-year-old girl while ejecting both her mother and another young child from the vehicle. Neither children were in their car seats or buckled, even though child safety seats were found in the vehicle wreckage, the article stated with a statement provided by DPS officer Sgt. Ruben San Miguel.

According to a report provided by the CDC, motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. "In the United States, 675 children 12 years old and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and nearly 116,000 were injured in 2017. Of the children 12 years old and younger who died in a crash in 2017 (for which restraint use was known), 35% were not buckled up."

In fact, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "In children younger than 1 year, using car seats decreases mortality by 71%. When compared to only using a seatbelt, car seats reduce the risk of injury by 54% in children 1-4 years old, and in children 4-8 years old, booster seats reduce the risk by 45%. In older children and adults, the use of seat belts decreases the risk of death and serious injury by about 50%.

Often times, unknowingly to parents, children are not properly buckled in their car seats or seat belts. We've included a video to help ensure that car seats are installed properly below thanks to 9News as well as one from Safe Kids Worldwide.

One way to make sure you are using your child safety seats correctly is to schedule an appointment with the Victoria Police Department car seat installation specialists. They also offer free car seats to families that might need them.  You can also visit Safekids.org to see if a class offered near you.

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