Parents often clueless about car seat defects

In this Friday, May 15, 2015 photo, Shannon Henderson buckles her son, Justin, 1, into his car seat for the ride to his father's house before she goes to her job as a part-time customer service representative at Wal-Mart in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Credit: Andria Brooks

Credit: Andria Brooks

In this Friday, May 15, 2015 photo, Shannon Henderson buckles her son, Justin, 1, into his car seat for the ride to his father's house before she goes to her job as a part-time customer service representative at Wal-Mart in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Six million child car seats were recalled due to a safety defect last year, yet many parents neglect to register their car seat.

I'm one of those parents, actually. It completely slipped my mind after my husband and I purchased a pair of convertible car seats for both of our vehicles about a month ago. I'm sure the paperwork is sitting on a stack of papers somewhere in my house.

So I'm glad that The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide, is working to remind busy parents to register their child's car seat this week as part of a Child Passenger Safety Week campaign.

Without that registration, I would have no way of knowing whether the seat my precious 10-month-old is riding in has a dangerous safety defect. And that's scary, because vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children.

Fortunately, it's easier than ever to register your car seat and keep up-to-date on the latest car seat safety tips. NHTSA provides a convenient way to register your seat online, with a page that includes links to many of the most popular manufacturer's websites.

A Parents Central Page at SaferCar.gov can also help you find the right car seat for your child and locate a certified technician to make sure that it's properly installed. Don't wait another day - register your child's car seat. You'll breathe a little easier when you get behind the wheel.