Does the car seat your child rides in meet all the required specifications? Are you sure of the best way to protect a child passenger in your car?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) wants to make sure America's children ride safely in their parents' cars and is kicking off their annual Child Passenger Safety Week on Sunday, September 21st, to help make sure of it.

Events around the country actually begin on Saturday, September 22nd, which National Seat Check Saturday, in which concerned parents can visit special clinics to learn the fundamentals of the LATCH child seat installation system, and make sure their child seats meet all current safety guidelines.

Insurers around the country are offering other activities all week as well, including heavy promotion of "click it or ticket" type ads, since improper use of seatbelts is still a leading cause of injuries or death in car accidents.

Children and teens are being encouraged to get involved as well, with activities such as GEICO's annual poster contest, which is in its 22nd straight year. Students are asked to present creative messages encouraging seatbelt safety, and can win cash prizes at regional and national levels. This year, teens are especially being invited to participate, because new teenaged drivers often drive without wearing seatbelts, and have the highest crash rates of any age groups.

More information about the poster contest can be found at GEICO's website, while the NHTSA offers an event planner for the week at their website, www.nhtsa.gov.

According to the NHTSA, correctly-used child restraint systems have saved the lives of more than 8,300 children over the past thirty years.

National Child Passenger Safety Week runs through September 27th.