Vermont's Child Passenger Safety Program, Be Seat Smart, is designed to draw attention to the importance of child car seats and to help caregivers understand the 4 Stages of Seat Safety for every child. Child safety seats can be confusing for caregivers, and many car seats are not properly installed. Certified safety technicians are available to help you for free at Fitting Stations throughout Vermont and at special Car Seat Check events.
A car seat inspection is a free and convenient way to have your child's car seat inspected by a Nationally Certified Technician. Unlike Fitting Stations, car seat inspections are mobile, one-time events at unique locations and appointments are not required. All car seat inspections are "first come, first served". All Vermont car seat inspections stations participate in the Vermont Car Seat Program.
If you are interested in hosting an event in your community, contact Sid Bradley, Child Passenger Safety Program Coordinator.
Find more information about Hosting a Child Passenger Safety Event.
More information about marketing your event can be found in the Marketing Toolkit.
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that of the 23,824 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2020, 51% were not wearing seat belts — a 4% increase from 2019. Seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts, in 2017 alone. In 2017 in Vermont, an estimated 28 lives were saved due to seat belt use for those five and older.
In Vermont, seat belt use rate was stable at approximately 85 percent between 2009 and 2015 before dropping to 80 percent in 2016. In that during the same period, the U.S. national rate increased progressively. Since 2018, Vermont’s rate has been substantially higher, nearing the 90 percent use rate goal prescribed by NHTSA. Over the last three years Vermont’s rate has been slightly below the rising national rate but has been slowly closing the gap, reaching 90.4 percent in 2022, the highest rate ever in the State (Vermont Seat Belt Use Survey).
Find more Vermont Occupant Protection data and reports from the Agency of Transportation.
Video of Chris Bell, Director of the Division of Emergency Preparedness, Response and Injury Prevention at the Vermont Department of Health, discussing the Be Seat Smart Program. Video produced by the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
