Fitting Your Child Correctly in the Car Seat

Although the laws concerning child car seats will vary between Western countries, they are all set out with the common purpose of maximizing the safety of young children, particularly in the event of a crash. The type of car seat that is most ideal for your child will depend on his/her age and physical development. A baby in the first year of his/her life should always travel in a rear-facing car seat, as he/she will be pulled into the seat with minimal impact on his/her neck or spinal cord in a crash. Thereafter, the child can be placed in a forward-facing seat and latterly a booster seat as he/she grows older and bigger, until such time that a normal seatbelt can fit snugly across their shoulder and chest. A seatbelt should never cross a child’s neck or face, nor rest on his/her stomach, as these could be lacerated in a crash.

This infographic from Woodstock Motors dispenses hugely important safety advice relating to the selection of a child car seat, as well as offering tips on what to look out for when purchasing one. It sets out to inform parents and guardians that not all car seats are created equal, and by selecting the one that is the best fit for your child, it may just prove the difference between life and death if you and your children are unfortunate enough to be involved in a car crash.

Author and source: Mark Dressekie with http://www.woodstockmotors.co.uk/repairs.html

Save

Save

Save

Today is National Seat Check Saturday. It is an opportunity for parents and caregivers to make sure their children are in the right car seat.

According to the NHTSA and the US Department of Transportation, “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children age 1 through 12 years old. Based on NHTSA crash data in 2010, almost an average of 2 children (age 12 and younger in a passenger vehicle) were killed and 325 were injured each day. This fatality rate could be reduced by about half if the correct child safety seat were always used.” Further, children might not be in the correctly sized car seat for their age and size or properly secured.

National Seat Check Saturday is an opportunity to reduce the risk of fatal injury to children in car seats. Right now, “3 out of 4 kids are not as secure in the car as they should be because their car seats are not being used correctly.” You can visit an Inspection Station where “certified technicians will inspect your child car seat, in most cases, free of charge – and show you how to correctly install and use it.”

To visit your local Child Car Seat Inspection Station, you can locate it by searching here: http://www.nhtsa.gov/apps/cps/index.htm

Check out this infographic to learn more about Car Seat Recommendations:

For more information please visit the following sites:

http://www.safercar.gov/parents/CarSeats.htm
http://www.safercar.gov/parents/home.htm

-The resqme team

Is My Child as Safe as Possible in the Car? – The Question Every Parent Needs to Ask

By NHTSA and Traffic Safety Marketing

Of the many questions you ask yourself every day, “Is my child as safe as possible in the car?” should be at the top of your list. The answer could be the difference between life, serious injury and death for your child.

Car crashes are a leading killer of children age 1 to 13. From 2007 to 2011 an estimated 634,000 children under 13 in cars, pickups, vans and SUVs were injured in crashes.

A child is much more fragile – and thus much more vulnerable in a car crash — than an adult. Your children count on you to keep them safe; it’s not just about putting them in car seats. The best way to protect your children is to place them in the right seats for their ages and size, install them correctly, and ensure that the car seats fit in your vehicle.

Research shows car seats decrease the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers in cars, and 58 percent and 59 percent for infants and toddlers in SUVs, pickups and vans.

Some parents reading this may think their children are already safe because they ride in a large vehicle. But the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that SUVs are involved in a far larger number of crash-related deaths for children than other vehicles. Worse yet, over half of all children who died while riding in SUVs weren’t buckled in at the time of their deaths. Many families choose SUVs as their primary vehicles due to the number of passengers they can carry and the perceived safety of their size. But the vehicle alone can’t keep your kids safe.

That’s why events such as Child Passenger Safety Week, September 15-21, 2013, are so critical in helping parents choose the right seat for their children and learning how to use them the right way.

The highlight of the week is National Seat Check Saturday, September 21, where parents, guardians and other caregivers can have their children’s car seats inspected by Certified Child Passenger Safety technicians and learn how to install them the right way to keep their children safe. Technicians can help parents and caregivers determine if their children are ready to move from rear-facing to forward-facing seats, from forward-facing seats to booster seats, or from booster seats to seat belts. The technicians can also help make sure that your car seat is registered so that you’ll be notified in case your car seat is recalled.

If you can’t make it to a National Seat Check Saturday event, you can still have your car seat examined by a certified technician. To locate a Certified Child Passenger Safety technician in your area, go to nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting or download the free SaferCar app from the iTunes App Store. The service that the technicians offer is available year-round, by appointment, and is usually free of charge.

Parents, guardians and caregivers can also visit safercar.gov/parents to learn other tips on car seat safety, watch how-to videos and sign up for car seat recall notifications.