The Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois Secretary of State and AAA launched the 2015 National Child Passenger Safety Week in Illinois earlier this week. The annual safety campaign brings attention to the importance of properly securing all children in car seats, booster seats and seat belts. The focus of this year’s campaign is increasing awareness of the need to keep children in booster seats until they reach the appropriate height of 4 feet, 9 inches to properly fit in a lap and shoulder belt. Too often, parents move their children to seat belts before they have matured enough to ride safely without a booster seat, though studies show that injuries and death occur more often in crashes in which children are not restrained in a booster seat. Illinois law requires that all children eight years old and younger ride in a car or booster seat, regardless of their height. Data compiled by IDOT show that only 54.7 percent of car seats are being used correctly. Parents should ask questions to determine if their 8-year-old children are ready to be out of booster seats. Such as can they sit all the way back against the vehicle seat? Do their knees bend comfortably at the edge of the vehicle seat? Does the seat belt cross their shoulder between the neck and arm? Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching their thighs? Can they stay seated like this for the whole trip? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then they should remain in a booster seat. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children younger than 13 years old. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash statistics show that, on average, nearly two children under the age of 13 were killed and 345 injured each day while riding in cars, S.U.V.s, pickup trucks and vans in 2013. Also, to maximize safety, ensure children are in the proper seats and they are properly installed. All children, age 12 or younger, should ride in the back seat and as of January 1, 2012, seat belt use is required in all seating positions, regardless of age. For more information on child passenger safety, visit www.buckleupillinois.org.