Our Team

Last Updated: June 8, 2026

Who We Are

Kids Aren’t Cars was created in early 2026 by a small team of parents, certified child passenger safety technicians, and medical researchers who were tired of seeing the same dangerous patterns repeat themselves in parking lots, on highways, and in emergency rooms.

The name is deliberate. Children are not cargo. They are not accessories to adult convenience. They are vulnerable human beings whose safety in vehicles depends entirely on the decisions adults make—decisions about which seat to buy, how to install it, where to place it, and when to transition to the next stage. Most of those decisions are made with incomplete information, outdated assumptions, or the false confidence that “if it were dangerous, someone would have told me.”

We are the ones telling you. And we are telling you because the data is unambiguous: the majority of child car seats are installed incorrectly, the majority of children are transitioned to the next restraint stage too early, and the majority of state laws set minimums that fall far short of best practice. The gap between what parents know and what children need is where injuries happen. This website exists to close that gap.

Our Editorial Team

Our team consists of professionals who work directly with child passenger safety, not content marketers who researched the topic last week.

Certified Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs)

Our fact-checkers are actively certified through Safe Kids Worldwide, with field experience conducting car seat inspections, educating parents, and working with law enforcement on child restraint compliance. They verify every technical claim in our articles: installation procedures, harness positioning, recline angles, and transition criteria.

Our lead CPST has conducted over 500 car seat inspections and trained 40+ technicians across three states. They bring the field perspective that separates theoretical knowledge from the reality of cramped backseats, incompatible seat combinations, and the 47 ways a parent can install a seat incorrectly.

Pediatric Medical Reviewers

Our medical review includes pediatric emergency medicine specialists, pediatric trauma surgeons, and pediatric gastroenterologists who treat the injuries that result from restraint failures. They review our articles for accuracy in:

Injury mechanisms (spinal cord trauma, abdominal compression, basilar skull fractures)
Physiological effects (heatstroke pathophysiology, motion sickness mechanisms, dehydration)
Medical recommendations (fever management, wound care, emergency response)
Growth and development milestones that affect restraint selection

Our medical reviewers practice at Level I pediatric trauma centers. They see the outcomes of the mistakes we write about. Their clinical perspective ensures that our prevention guidance is grounded in the reality of what goes wrong.

Research Analysts

Our data team monitors NHTSA publications, IIHS crash-test reports, state legislative updates, and manufacturer recall notices to ensure our content reflects the most current information available. They track:

FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) updates
AAP policy statement revisions
State legislative tracking through the Governor’s Highway Safety Association
Manufacturer recall databases and technical service bulletins
Peer-reviewed literature in pediatric trauma and injury prevention

Our Contributors

Our articles are written by subject-matter contributors with direct experience in child passenger safety, emergency medicine, and family transportation. Contributors include:

Active CPSTs who conduct inspections weekly and see current misuse patterns
Emergency department nurses and physicians who treat pediatric vehicle injuries
Paramedics and EMTs who respond to motor vehicle collisions involving children
Traffic safety researchers who analyze crash data and restraint effectiveness
Parents who have navigated the same decisions and anxieties our readers face

Every contributor is vetted for credentials, experience, and commitment to evidence-based practice. We do not publish guest posts from unverified sources or content marketing agencies.

Our Review Process

Every article follows a structured, multi-layer review process before publication:

Topic selection: Based on gaps in public understanding, emerging safety issues, legislative changes, or patterns observed in inspection events and emergency departments
Research: Primary sources only—NHTSA data, AAP policy statements, IIHS crash-test results, peer-reviewed studies, manufacturer technical manuals
Draft: Written by subject-matter contributors with direct experience in child passenger safety
Fact-check: Verified by a certified CPST for technical accuracy in installation, selection, and positioning guidance
Medical review: Reviewed by a pediatric specialist for accuracy in injury mechanisms, physiological effects, and medical recommendations
Publication: Published with clear dating, revision tracking, and source attribution
Update: Reviewed and updated every 6 months, or immediately when significant new guidance, data, or legislation emerges

This process adds time to publication. A typical article requires 2-3 weeks from draft to publication. The delay is the cost of accuracy. We do not publish quickly at the expense of correctness.

Our Independence

We do not accept manufacturer sponsorships, paid product placements, or advertising relationships that could influence our editorial independence. If we reference a specific product, it is because it is relevant to the technical discussion, not because we were paid to mention it. Our affiliate relationships, where they exist, are disclosed transparently and do not influence our recommendations.

We do not publish content generated by artificial intelligence without human oversight, fact-checking, and medical review. AI tools may assist in research organization, but the analysis, judgment, and recommendations in every article are human-derived and human-verified.

Our Philosophy

Our editorial philosophy is built on four principles that guide every article we publish:

Safety is non-negotiable. There are no “good enough” compromises when a child’s life is at risk. We do not endorse shortcuts, exceptions, or “just this once” rationalizations
Parents are capable. The information we provide is designed to be actionable by any parent with a car seat manual and a measuring tape. We do not gatekeep safety behind professional certification—though we strongly encourage professional verification when possible
Laws are floors, not ceilings. State child passenger laws set minimums. Best practice sets optimums. We educate toward best practice, not mere legal compliance
Prevention is the only cure. The injuries we write about are preventable. The deaths we reference are preventable. Our mission is to make prevention accessible, understandable, and normal

Our Limitations

We are a publication, not a medical practice, not a law firm, and not a replacement for hands-on professional evaluation. Our content is informational and educational. It does not establish a doctor-patient relationship, a technician-client relationship, or an attorney-client relationship.

We cannot evaluate your specific vehicle, your specific car seat, or your specific child’s needs without seeing them. We strongly encourage every parent to:

Schedule a free inspection with a certified CPST at cert.safekids.org
Consult your pediatrician for medical guidance specific to your child’s health and development
Verify current laws with your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles

For our full medical disclaimer, liability limitations, and privacy practices, see our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.