National Child Passenger Safety Week

  • Published
  • By Rod Krause
  • 5th Bomb Wing Safety and Occupational Health Manager
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  This year's National Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 19 to 25. It 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 if they are not properly secured in a child safety seat. Parents are also directed to free resources to help them safely install and use child safety seats correctly.

Traffic mishaps remain the number one killer of kids. Despite the efforts of conscientious parents who use child safety seats, many of them are not using the seats correctly. A survey commissioned by Chrysler Group found that 97 percent of parents believe they correctly use and install child safety seats. However, field studies show eight out of ten children in safety seats are not buckled in properly. This puts them at needless risk of serious injury or death in the event of a vehicle mishap.

Children rely on their parents to use safety seats correctly - infant, toddler/convertible or booster seats. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association recommends all children ride in the back seat. It is recommended parents use rear-facing seats until a child is 20 pounds and one year old, forward-facing for children over one year old and from 20 pounds up to 40 pounds, and booster seats until 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.

Another issue is child passengers and air bag safety. Air bags save lives, but they work best when everyone is buckled and when children age 12 and under are properly restrained in the back seat. An infant riding in a rear-facing child seat must never be placed in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger side air bag. The message is clear; "Everyone buckled. Kids in the back seat."

A third concern is children riding in the cargo area of pickups. Remember, kids aren't cargo! Even a relatively minor impact can eject a child from the back of a truck. Even if no collision occurs, passengers can fall out during a swerve, braking or bumpy road condition. Also parents in the cab of a truck have a hard time supervising kids who are in the cargo area.
 
Motor vehicle injury is the leading killer of children more than one year of age. According to the NHTSA, child safety seats, when used correctly, can reduce fatalities among young children less than five years of age by 71 percent making it one of the most effective safety innovations ever developed.

Here are a few important tips to remember concerning child passenger safety.

1. Use rear-facing infant seats in the back seat from birth to at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds.
2. Use forward-facing toddler seats in the back seat from age one and 20 pounds to about age four and 40 pounds.
3. Use booster seats in the back seat from about age four to at least age eight - unless the child is 4 ft. 9 inches or taller.
4. Use safety belts in the back seat at age eight or older or taller than 4 ft. 9 inches. All children age 12 or younger should ride in the back seat.

The three most common mistakes in installing a child safety seat are (1) not attaching the seat tightly to the car or truck, (2) not fastening the harness tightly enough, and (3) not using the chest clip or using it incorrectly.

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 a child from being thrown from the vehicle, or thrown around inside it, during a crash. If They Are Under 4' 9", They Need a Booster Seat!

For more information about the proper use of booster seats, visit www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/CPS. Parents can have an expert check for free whether a child safety seat is installed correctly. Check the 2010 Car Seat Clinic schedule provided by the 1st District Health Unit website at www.fdhu.org or call 701-852-1376.