Child Passenger Safety Week: Protecting the youngest among us | #childsafety | #kids | #chldern | #parents | #schoolsafey

By: Chris Perkins, Senior Writer & Editor, GM News

General Motors connects people to what matters, and so often, that’s family. That’s why the company’s commitment to safety is foundational and prioritizes protecting the youngest among us. There’s hardly a better time to talk about it than Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 20-26, 2026).

Advocating for Correct Child Seat Usage

For its entire 118-year history, GM has worked to make vehicles safer for all, and one of its most important breakthroughs in child passenger safety came nearly 60 years ago. In 1967, GM released the first modern child safety seat, the Child Love Seat, and quickly followed it up with a rear-facing Infant Love seat with a dedicated harness.

While GM stopped selling its Love Seats in the early 1980s, those early models helped lead to the U.S. government codifying requirements and standards for child seats. GM also engages in close collaboration with today’s child seat manufacturers, both for them to optimize their seat designs, and for the automaker to maximize vehicle safety performance.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, using child seats can reduce risk of death up to 71%, but concerningly, the organization says that more than 50% of car seats are used incorrectly, or not at all. GM began a partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide in 1997, and in the years since, they’ve educated over 29.9 million people, performed 2.47 million seat checks/inspections, and provided over 810,000 car seats to families around the U.S.

Caption: Regina Carto, Vice President, Global Product Safety, Systems and Certification, (L) and Suzanne Johansson, Vehicle Performance Owner – Child Safety Occupant Performance, (R) test a rear-facing child seat.

Chevrolet and Safe Kids Worldwide also created the Ultimate Car Seat Guide, which provides parents with advice on the right seat for children across their many stages of development, and for correct installation. While you should have a thorough read of the Ultimate Car Seat Guide, here are some important quick tips for child seat usage1.

Rear-facing as long as possible: It’s the safest position. Keep your child rear-facing until at least age 2, or until they max out the car seat’s limits.

Tight install: The seat shouldn’t move more than an inch side to side or front to back.

Harness check: Straps should lie flat, be snug (no pinching), and sit at or below the shoulders for rear-facing kiddos.

No aftermarket purchases or add-ons: Avoid buying used car seats as crash history is unknown, and check car seat expiration dates. If it didn’t come with the seat, skip it. Things like aftermarket mirrors might look helpful, but they could compromise safety.

Keep growing kids in booster seats: Safe Kids Worldwide data indicates that 4 out of 5 parents move children out of booster seats before they are ready. A child should be at least 4’9” and pass the seat belt fit test before they can use a seatbelt alone without a booster.

Thanks in part to GM grant funding, Safe Kids Worldwide hosts car seat checkups and educational events at Chevrolet dealerships, hospitals, policy and fire stations and other community locations across the U.S. Visit events.safekids.org to find one near you.

A Friendly, Important Reminder

GM aims to advance automotive safety through technology, and by encouraging behavior that supports positive outcomes. Those two pillars came together in one important feature that debuted in 2016 – Rear Seat Reminder2.

Hot car deaths, where children are mistakenly left behind in a vehicle and suffer heatstroke, are a tragic reality. In a parked car, the temperature can climb 20 degrees in just 10 minutes.

Rear Seat Reminder2 is a simple reminder that flashes up on the gauge cluster screen reminding drivers to check the rear seats if they opened and closed a rear door before setting off to drive. The feature debuted in 2016 for the 2017 GMC Acadia, and now, is standard across GM’s four-door vehicle lineup. Across the industry, it’s a feature that’s standard equipment in more than 260 vehicles on sale in the U.S. today.

Safe Kids Worldwide encourages people to A.C.T. to help prevent children being left behind.

Avoid leaving your child in the car—ever.

Create reminders. Put something you’ll need in the back seat, like your phone or wallet.

Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911 immediately.

Safety Technology for Every Family

GM proudly includes an advanced suite of active safety and driver-assistance3 features on its vehicles, including six models with MSRP around $30,000 or less: The 2026 Chevrolet Trax and Trailblazer, and 2027 Equinox and Bolt, and the 2026 Buick Envista and Encore GX. Independent studies have shown features like these produce statistically significant reductions in crashes and injuries on public roads.

GM was also the first to offer Teen Driver3, a system that allows parents to set speed warnings and an 85-mph speed limit and enables other safety features that can only be turned off by entering a PIN. Part of Teen Driver is Buckle to Drive, which prevents the driver from shifting out of Park for up to 20 seconds if they’re unbuckled.

It’s a unique combination of engineering, technology, and advocacy that make up GM’s approach to safety. For Child Passenger Safety Week, and every week, buckle your kids up the right way for every ride, stay vigilant, and never leave a child in the car, not even for a moment. GM is proud to offer customers pioneering tech and safety-centered design – but nothing beats the power of a parent or caregiver’s attention.

1. A NOTE ON CHILD SAFETY: Always use seat belts and the correct child restraint for your child’s age and size, even with airbags. Even in vehicles equipped with the Passenger Sensing System, children are safer when properly secured in a rear seat in the appropriate infant, child or booster seat. Never place a rear-facing infant restraint in the front seat of any vehicle equipped with an active frontal airbag. See your vehicle Owner’s Manual and child safety seat instructions for more safety information.

2. Does not detect people or items. Always check rear seat before exiting.

3. Safety or driver assistance features are no substitute for the driver’s responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. The driver should remain attentive to traffic, surroundings, and road conditions at all times. Visibility, weather, and road conditions may affect feature performance. Read the vehicle’s owner’s manual for more important feature limitations and information.

By: Chris Perkins, Senior Writer & Editor, GM News

Regina Carto, Vice President, Global Product Safety, Systems and Certification, (L) and Suzanne Johansson, Vehicle Performance Owner – Child Safety Occupant Performance, (R) test a rear-facing child seat.

General Motors connects people to what matters, and so often, that’s family. That’s why the company’s commitment to safety is foundational and prioritizes protecting the youngest among us. There’s hardly a better time to talk about it than Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 20-26, 2026).

Advocating for Correct Child Seat Usage

For its entire 118-year history, GM has worked to make vehicles safer for all, and one of its most important breakthroughs in child passenger safety came nearly 60 years ago. In 1967, GM released the first modern child safety seat, the Child Love Seat, and quickly followed it up with a rear-facing Infant Love seat with a dedicated harness.

While GM stopped selling its Love Seats in the early 1980s, those early models helped lead to the U.S. government codifying requirements and standards for child seats. GM also engages in close collaboration with today’s child seat manufacturers, both for them to optimize their seat designs, and for the automaker to maximize vehicle safety performance.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, using child seats can reduce risk of death up to 71%, but concerningly, the organization says that more than 50% of car seats are used incorrectly, or not at all. GM began a partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide in 1997, and in the years since, they’ve educated over 29.9 million people, performed 2.47 million seat checks/inspections, and provided over 810,000 car seats to families around the U.S.

Chevrolet and Safe Kids Worldwide also created the Ultimate Car Seat Guide, which provides parents with advice on the right seat for children across their many stages of development, and for correct installation. While you should have a thorough read of the Ultimate Car Seat Guide, here are some important quick tips for child seat usage¹.

• Rear-facing as long as possible: It’s the safest position. Keep your child rear-facing until at least age 2, or until they max out the car seat’s limits.
• Tight install: The seat shouldn’t move more than an inch side to side or front to back.
• Harness check: Straps should lie flat, be snug (no pinching), and sit at or below the shoulders for rear-facing kiddos.
• No aftermarket purchases or add-ons: Avoid buying used car seats as crash history is unknown, and check car seat expiration dates. If it didn’t come with the seat, skip it. Things like aftermarket mirrors might look helpful, but they could compromise safety.
• Keep growing kids in booster seats: Safe Kids Worldwide data indicates that 4 out of 5 parents move children out of booster seats before they are ready. A child should be at least 4’9” and pass the seat belt fit test before they can use a seatbelt alone without a booster.

Thanks in part to GM grant funding, Safe Kids Worldwide hosts car seat checkups and educational events at Chevrolet dealerships, hospitals, policy and fire stations and other community locations across the U.S. Visit events.safekids.org to find one near you.

A Friendly, Important Reminder

GM aims to advance automotive safety through technology, and by encouraging behavior that supports positive outcomes. Those two pillars came together in one important feature that debuted in 2016 – Rear Seat Reminder².

Hot car deaths, where children are mistakenly left behind in a vehicle and suffer heatstroke, are a tragic reality. In a parked car, the temperature can climb 20 degrees in just 10 minutes.

Rear Seat Reminder² is a simple reminder that flashes up on the gauge cluster screen reminding drivers to check the rear seats if they opened and closed a rear door before setting off to drive. The feature debuted in 2016 for the 2017 GMC Acadia, and now, is standard across GM’s four-door vehicle lineup. Across the industry, it’s a feature that’s standard equipment in more than 260 vehicles on sale in the U.S. today.

Safe Kids Worldwide encourages people to A.C.T. to help prevent children being left behind.

• Avoid leaving your child in the car—ever.
• Create reminders. Put something you’ll need in the back seat, like your phone or wallet.
• Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911 immediately.

Safety Technology for Every Family

GM proudly includes an advanced suite of active safety and driver-assistance³ features on its vehicles, including six models with MSRP around $30,000 or less: The 2026 Chevrolet Trax and Trailblazer, and 2027 Equinox and Bolt, and the 2026 Buick Envista and Encore GX. Independent studies have shown features like these produce statistically significant reductions in crashes and injuries on public roads.

GM was also the first to offer Teen Driver³, a system that allows parents to set speed warnings and an 85-mph speed limit and enables other safety features that can only be turned off by entering a PIN. Part of Teen Driver is Buckle to Drive, which prevents the driver from shifting out of Park for up to 20 seconds if they’re unbuckled.

It’s a unique combination of engineering, technology, and advocacy that make up GM’s approach to safety. For Child Passenger Safety Week, and every week, buckle your kids up the right way for every ride, stay vigilant, and never leave a child in the car, not even for a moment. GM is proud to offer customers pioneering tech and safety-centered design – but nothing beats the power of a parent or caregiver’s attention.

¹A NOTE ON CHILD SAFETY: Always use seat belts and the correct child restraint for your child’s age and size, even with airbags. Even in vehicles equipped with the Passenger Sensing System, children are safer when properly secured in a rear seat in the appropriate infant, child or booster seat. Never place a rear-facing infant restraint in the front seat of any vehicle equipped with an active frontal airbag. See your vehicle Owner’s Manual and child safety seat instructions for more safety information.
²Does not detect people or items. Always check rear seat before exiting.
³Safety or driver assistance features are no substitute for the driver’s responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. The driver should remain attentive to traffic, surroundings, and road conditions at all times. Visibility, weather, and road conditions may affect feature performance. Read the vehicle’s owner’s manual for more important feature limitations and information.