Some of those accidents occur because children aren't strapped in correctly. But as WRAL found out Wednesday, sometimes you can't strap them in.
After a check of close to a dozen stores, many didn't fare very well. That frustrates people like Suzanne Magnus, who saw her child fall out of a shopping cart six months ago.
Magnus is much more careful now. She makes it a point to pick carts with straps that are working properly.
Courtlyn Magnus didn't get seriously hurt when she fell off a shopping cart. Most kids aren't that lucky.
"About 16,000 children got injured in 1996 from falling from shopping carts," says Liz Newlin, Coordinator of the Operation Safe Kids Program.
Operation Safe Kids urges parents to buckle up their children in shopping carts. But many don't heed that advice.
"Sometimes they are broken," Magnus explains. "Sometimes, they're a little sticky and nasty, and you don't want to buckle them around your children. It's not your first choice, but it's better than the alternative."
A survey shows 80% of parents leave a child unattended at least once during a shopping trip.
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