Honda CR-V crashed and deformed, two children were safe thanks to sitting in separate seats

Neither child suffered any scratches, although the 2015 Honda CR-V was unrecognizable.

A Pennsylvania woman’s photo shows the remains of a horrific accident. The photo has gone viral and has become a powerful reminder of the importance of child car seats.

Jenna Casado Rabberman posted a photo on Facebook on September 26 showing two intact child seats placed in front of a crushed car, the model and brand of which were unrecognizable, according to ABC News. The mother's post was then shared nearly 100,000 times in just 24 hours.

A photo that has gone viral on social media in recent days shows two intact child seats in front of a deformed car, a 2015 Honda CR-V. Photo: Facebook.

"I'm not one to post anything too heavy or too personal on Facebook, but this is why you should always have your child in a child seat and properly buckled up whenever you're traveling," Rabberman wrote, although her post has since been hidden.

"Even if they complain about the straps being too tight. Even if they complain about the chest buckle or having to sit facing the wrong way. We just stopped for milk on the way home from school. We were only a few minutes away. Someone ran a red light and hit us."

Rabberman, who lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, told ABC News that she was driving her two sons, Beckett, 2, and Brooks, 6 months, when the accident happened. The car was totaled, but the children did not suffer a scratch.

The mother said she was quite relaxed about raising her children, but she took the use of child seats in the car very seriously.

“I felt like it was the easiest thing I could do to keep them safe,” Rabberman said. “I know I could never forgive myself if something happened to my kids because I didn’t take the time to do something so simple to protect them. I don’t think any parent could live with that.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 248 children under the age of 5 were saved in 2015 thanks to properly installed and used child safety seats. NHTSA also provides many guidelines for parents to keep their children safe in the event of a crash.

The first step is to find the right seat for your child’s age. Children should progress from rear-facing (usually for infants) to forward-facing before moving to a booster seat (which raises the child to the appropriate height and has no back) and then using a seat belt like an adult.

Second, child seats need to be installed properly – which can make a life-or-death difference if an accident occurs.

According to VNE