|
Protect Your Most Precious Cargo—Your Child
“She’ll stop crying if I hold her on my lap." “We’re only going
to the grocery store down the block." “He’s sick and needs
comforting.” "She's hungry." Do any of these quotes sound
familiar? They’re all common reasons parents give for not putting
their children in appropriate child safety seats or safety belts.
Unfortunately, unrestrained or improperly restrained children are
far more likely to suffer severe injuries or die in motor vehicle
mishaps than properly restrained children. In fact, motor vehicle
accidents are the leading cause of death among children at every age
after their first birthday. Even if you are a careful driver, you
can’t control other driver’s behaviors or eliminate the possibility
of a crash. And the forces that occur during a crash will make it
impossible for you to “just hold on” to your child.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by
about 70 percent for infants, and by about 55 percent for toddlers
ages one to four.
The NHTSA recommends booster seats for children over 40 pounds until
at least age 8. For children 9 years and older, car seatbelts reduce
injury risk by about 50 percent. Unfortunately, many parents,
unknowingly, incorrectly install car safety seats or improperly
restrain their children. Here are some tips to help ensure your
child is properly restrained while riding in your motor vehicle.
- Infants should ride in rear-facing seats as long as
possible, at least until they are 12 months of age and weigh at
least 20 pounds. The seat's harness strap should be routed
through the harness slots that are at, or slightly below, the
child’s shoulder level. When fastened, the harness clip should
be snug and at armpit level. The seat should be inclined at a
45-degree angle and securely fastened in place, using a locking
clip, if needed, to prevent movement.
- Children over one year of age and who weigh between 20 and
40 pounds should be placed in forward-facing child safety seats.
The seat's harness strap should be routed through the harness
slot at, or slightly above, shoulder level. Keep the harness
straps snug and flat. When fastened, the harness clip should be
at armpit level. The seat should be in an upright position and
securely fastened to prevent movement. If the seat moves more
than one-inch left to right or back to front, it’s too loose. In
order to get a tight fit between the child restraint system and
the vehicle seat, put your weight into the restraint system to
compress the vehicle seat while tightening the seat belt as much
as possible.
- Children over 40 pounds should be placed in a booster seat.
There are different types of booster seats available on the
market. Depending on your child’s weight and height, you may
need a high-back-style booster seat to properly protect your
child.
- By around age 8, children can move to regular lap and
shoulder belts. However, some vehicle restraint systems may not
properly fit children weighing less than 80 pounds and who are
less than 4 feet, 9 inches tall. In these instances, you may
need to continue using a booster seat to properly protect your
child.
- Regardless of the child restraint system used, all children
ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat. This
eliminates the injury risk from deployed front passenger-side
airbags, and places children in the safest part of the vehicle
in the event of an accident. Riding in the back seat is
associated with a 46 percent reduction in the risk of fatal
injury in cars with a front passenger-side airbag and at least a
30 percent reduction in the risk of fatal injury in cars with no
front passenger-side airbag.
For more information about child safety seats,
click here and/or visit the
National Transportation Safety Administration website and/or the
California Highway Patrol website.
For more information about child safety seats, visit the
website and/or the website.
Click here for
Safety Tips.Past Monthly
Safety Messages:
Monthly Safety Message: Fireplace, Wood Stove, and Space Heater Safety
Monthly Safety Message: Happy…and Safe…Holidays
Monthly Safety Message: Deep Frying Your Turkey?
Monthly Safety Message: Smoke Detectors/Alarms—What You May Not Know
Monthly Safety Message: Let’s Get Prepared for Winter
Monthly Safety Message: Time to Mow Your Weeds
Monthly Safety Message: Protect Your Most Precious Cargo—Your Child
Monthly Safety Message: Video: Change Your Clocks - Change Your Batteries
Monthly Safety Message: Holidy Safety
Monthly Safety Message: October is Disaster Preparedness Month
Monthly Safety Message: Being Prepared for Winter Storms
Monthly Safety Message: Holiday Safety
Monthly Safety Message: Wildland/Vegetation Fires
Monthly Safety Message: The Do's and DO NOTs of Calling 9-1-1
Monthly Safety Message: Protect Your Most Precious Cargo—Your Child
Monthly Safety Message: Holiday Safety
Monthly Safety Message: Use Caution with Turkey Fryers
Monthly Safety Message: Tips for Halloween Trick-or-Treating
Monthly Safety Message: The Do's and DO NOTs of Calling 9-1-1
Monthly Safety Message: 4th of July Safety
Monthly Safety Message: Defensible Space
Monthly Safety Message: Disaster Preparedness
Monthly Safety Message: Move Right for Sirens & Lights
Monthly Safety Message: Saving A Life…Heart Attack & Stroke
Monthly Safety Message: Protect Your Most Precious Cargo—Your Child
Monthly Safety Message: Holiday Safety
Monthly Safety Message: Fireplace, Wood Stove, & Space Heaters
Monthly Safety Message: Candle Safety
Monthly Safety Message: Disaster Preparedness
Monthly Safety Message: How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
Monthly Safety Message: Wildland Fire Safety Tips
Monthly Safety Message: Water Safety
Monthly Safety Message: Rags & Ashes — Caution Required
Monthly Safety Message: Change your Smoke Detector Battery
Monthly Safety Message: How to Survive a Fire in Your Home
|
|
|
