CAR SEAT INSPECTION OFFERED AS PART OF CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK

Safe Kids Lower Shore Hosts Car Seat Event

Salisbury, MD - Safe Kids Lower Shore MD will celebrate Child Passenger Safety Week (September 19-25) by conducting a FREE car seat checkup event for families and their children on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at the Fruitland Walmart from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Nationally, certified child passenger safety technicians will be available to provide child safety seat inspections and hands-on education to parents and caregivers.

“Research shows that as children age, they are less likely to be in the appropriate child safety seat for their age and weight,” said Tammy Griffin, Coordinator of Safe Kids Lower Shore MD. “Safe Kids Lower Shore MD would like to change that by helping assure that each child in a vehicle is fully protected. Every child deserves to grow up safely and we are pleased to work with our partners at the state and local level to promote and improve child safety in vehicles during this week.”

Safe Kids Buckle Up, the child passenger safety program of Safe Kids USA in partnership with the General Motors Foundation, hosts child safety seat checkups and other vehicle safety events throughout the year.

Nationwide, the Safe Kids Buckle Up program has reached more than 21 million people with local coalitions inspecting more than 1.28 million car seats since the program began in 1997. Parents and caregivers can find additional Safe Kids Buckle Up seat check events by visiting the Safe Kids web-site at www.SafeKids.org.

A 2008 report from NHTSA shows that children from birth to age 1 were in a car seat 99 percent of the time. Children from ages 1-3 were in car seats 92 percent of the time and kids 4-7 were in seats 89 percent of the time. Sadly, as kids get to be between 8-12 they ride in a restraint only 85 percent of the time.

Also according to NHTSA, child safety seats reduce the risk of death for infants (under 1 year old) in a vehicle crash by 71 percent, and reduce the likelihood to toddlers (1 to 4 years old) by 54 percent. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have laws requiring children to be restrained while riding in cars.


Parents and caregivers should follow a few basic guidelines to determine which restraint system is best suited to protect their children in a vehicle:
· For the best possible protection keep infants in a back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible—up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. Never turn a child forward-facing before age 1 and at least 20 pounds, although keeping kids rear-facing until at least age 2 is safer and preferred if the seat allows.
· When children outgrow their rear-facing seats, they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in a back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular harnessed seat. Many newer seats exceed the old 40 pound weight limit.
· Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats, they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly.
· Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt rests on the shoulder or collar bone (usually when the child is between 8 and 12 years old, approximately 4’9” tall and 80 to 100 pounds).