Words don't always match deeds, particularly when it comes to child passenger safety.
Although parents and other adults routinely say the safety of children is paramount, their assertions are not supported by statistics released during National Child Passenger Safety Week, observed through Saturday.
Three of every four child safety seats are installed improperly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That doesn't account for the adults who fail to secure children in car seats. Missouri law required children under age 8 to be secured in a safety/booster seat unless they weigh at least 80 pounds or are taller than 4 feet, 9 inches. In 2014, Missouri Highway Patrol troopers cited 2,444 drivers who failed to secure child passengers, as required by law.
Drivers are responsible for ensuring passengers under age 16 are restrained properly. Safety/booster seats are required for children under age 8, not exempted by weight or height factors, and seat belts are mandatory for children ages 8 through 15.
Although drivers face fines for non-compliance, the consequences may be much more severe.
In 2014, 17 children under age 8 were killed and 86 were injured in Missouri traffic crashes, according to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. Among them, 31 percent were not restrained in a safety/booster seat, the coalition reports.
How can you be certain a child safety seat is installed properly?
Child safety seat technicians will provide inspections and education at a Child Seat Check-Up from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Jefferson City Fire Department Training Facility, 2304 Hyde Park Road.
People who are unable to attend Saturday's event may consult a statewide list of car seat inspection stations at seatcheck.org. Appointments may be necessary.
"We are urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected," said Bill Whitfield, the coalition's executive committee chairman. "When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes."
There also is no room for excuses.