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National Child Passenger Safety awareness
Posted 9/20/2012 Updated 9/20/2012
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Commentary by Rod Krause
5th Bomb Wing Safety and Occupational Health Manager
9/20/2012 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D -- The National Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 16 - 22) is a time when safety advocates encourage the nation to focus on keeping children safe in vehicles. It also is an important time for everyone to do their part to remind parents of the risks their children face when they are not properly secured in a child safety seat. Parents are encouraged to utilize free resources that can teach them how to properly install and use child safety seats correctly.
Traffic accidents are the main cause of children deaths. Despite the efforts of conscientious parents who use child safety seats, many of them are unaware they are using them improperly.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, child safety seats, when used correctly, can reduce fatalities among young children less than five years of age by 71 percent. Safety seats are one of the most effective safety innovations ever developed.
Chrysler Group conducted a survey and found that 97 percent of parents believe they are correctly installing and using child safety seats. Yet, field studies show that eight out of ten children in safety seats are not buckled in properly, resulting in a high risk of serious injury or death in the event of a vehicle accident.
Children must rely on their parents to use safety seats correctly, regardless of the type - infant, toddler/convertible, or booster seat.
NHTSA recommends that all children ride in the back seat. Children must sit using rear-facing seats until a child is 20 pounds and one year old. Once reached, children can convert to seats that are forward-facing, up to 40 pounds. Booster seats can then be used once the child can use the vehicle's lap/shoulder belts.
Parents need to read the information provided in their vehicle owner's manual regarding child safety seat placement in the vehicle along with the proper use instructions provided with the child safety seat.
The three most common mistakes when installing a child safety seat are (1) not attaching the seat tightly to the vehicle seat, (2) not fastening the harness tightly enough, and (3) not using the chest clip or using it incorrectly.
Another issue is child passengers and air bag safety. While air bags saves lives, they work best when everyone is buckled and when children age 12 and under are properly restrained in the back seat.
Children should not ride in the cargo area of pickup trucks. This area allows limited or no parental supervision and is not equipped with the proper safety devices such as airbags and seatbelts. A relatively minor impact can eject a child from the back of a truck. Passengers can fall out during a swerve, braking or bumpy road condition without the need of a collision.
Here are a few important tips concerning child passenger safety, remember and follow these four steps:
1. Use rear-facing infant seats in the back seat from birth to at least one year of age and up to 20 pounds.
2. Use forward-facing toddler seats in the back seat from age one and 20 pounds to approximately age four and 40 pounds.
3. Use booster seats in the back seat from approximately age four to at least age eight - unless the child is 4 feet 9 inches or taller.
4. Use safety belts in the back seat at age eight or older or taller than 4 feet 9 inches. All children age 12 or younger should ride in the back seat.
Many parents are under the false impression that children who have outgrown child safety seats can move right into safety belts, but nothing could be further from the truth. Safety belts, which are designed to fit adults, won't fully restrain a child in a crash. Using a booster seat will better protect your child from being thrown from the vehicle, or thrown around inside it, during a crash.
In a traffic crash, the shoulder strap of an adult safety belt will hit a child shorter than 4 feet 9 inches across the neck or face rather than the chest, and there is also a greater risk of internal injury because an adult lap belt hits across the child's stomach rather then their lap. These children need a booster seat - which raises them up so that adult safety belts fit over their chests and bellies properly - and protects them in the event of a crash.
Some parents or caregivers may regard booster seats as a hassle to use or a pain to convince their children to use. But truly protecting the ones we love means getting past the temporary complaints and perceived hassles because the lives of children are at risk.
For more information about the proper use of booster seats, visit www.boosterseat.gov. You can have an expert check for free whether a child safety seat is installed correctly. Check the 2012 Car Seat Clinic schedule provided by the 1st District Health Unit website: www.fdhu.org, or call 852-1376 for more information.
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