• Child passenger safety legislation and technology were not orphans, nor was awareness instinctive. The efforts of working mothers and a few conscientious doctors and engineers helped early volunteer organizations believe in the possibility of federal standards, caregiver awareness, and injury prevention programs.

    ...Read the story here.

  • The child passenger safety story is unfinished. CPSOMA tells only the beginning. There are no famous faces. No superheros. Just everyday people. The mission of CPSOMA is to present the people and things as powerful pioneers and bold inventions together embodying a relentless resolution of doing better.

    ...More on the CPSOMA mission

  • CPSOMA is not a typical museum. Fully digital and accessible, at the core of the project is the belief that historic items are for replication and learning, not isolation and valuation. The content, work, and team are dynamic. Using photogrammetry, 3D printing, metadata, and open-source tools, CPSOMA offers diverse, free-to-use educational resources where K-12 students, parents, and emeritus professors, and all others are equally important.

    ...Exhibits Coming Soon!

  • CPSOMA holds a wide range of items including patents, public speeches, government documents, campaign pamphlets, photographs, instruction manuals, and digital versions of a range of innovative and significant child safety restraints covering almost five decades.

    ...Go to the Collections

  • CPSOMA houses two special projects: the archives of BUSK and the Pioneers Project. BUSK are a U.K. charity responsible for changing British law to require all school vehicles to have lap-and-shoulder belts. The Pioneers Project is an oral history archive from the premier industry publication, Safe Ride News.

    ...See the special projects

“It is ironic that a nation that ranks the welfare of children high on its list of priorities is in the process of mandating the use of protective devices for parents…but denies the right to similar protection to the very young.”

- Annemarie Shelness, 1974

FAQs

  • In 2017, it is estimated that 325 children 4 years old and younger were saved by child safety restraint use. We also know that child safety restraints lower the risk death by 71% among infants, by 54% among children 1 to 4 years old, and for children 4 to 8 years of age, booster seats decrease the risk of nonfatal injuries by 45% compared to if they were only in a vehicle seat belt.

  • Consulting a nationally-certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) is the most assured way of getting the best advice. CPSTs are certified by Safe Kids Worldwide after completing a rigorous training course designed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To find a CPST near to you, consult the Safe Kids Worldwide Find a Tech online tool.

  • The first child passenger safety restraint law was passed in Tennessee in 1978. The lobbying was spearheaded by Dr. Robert Sanders and his wife, Pat. After a failed attempt in 1976, the law was passed two years later after Dr. Sanders argued he had “signed too many death certificates for young accident victims.” The law required all children under the age of four years old be in a child safety restraint, but also provided a loan program for up to 1,200 seats to be used by economically disadvantaged families.

  • Education is key. We know how effective child safety restraints have proven to be at reducing death and injury, but communicating that effectively is just as important as the science. CPSOMA contains links to reliable resources from NHTSA, Safe Kids Worldwide, and other leading institutions all of which are free to share. Talking with, and qualifying as, a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician is an assured way to becoming involved in reliable and lasting local and community organizing to improve child passenger safety.