At the start of the new year, San Diego Medical Services Enterprise, the 9-1-1 ambulance provider, will provide information on how to best protect those little ones while riding in vehicles.
According to Safe Ridin Kidz, a San Diego child-seat safety resource, about 96 percent of parents believe they install their child’s safety seat correctly. In reality, it is estimated that about 80 percent of children who are placed in child-safety seats are improperly restrained; nearly a third of children ride in the wrong restraints for their age and size.
Experts say the importance of using these devices cannot be overstated. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government agency that oversees car-seat safety, says child-safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 through 4 years old) in passenger cars.
Here are some of the most common mistakes made installing a car seat, according to saferidinkidz.com:
1. Seat too loose in the car: Parents should not be able to move the car seat from side to side more than an inch (from the seatbelt path, not the top of the restraint). Booster seats are excluded from this rule.
2. Harness straps too loose on the child: Remember that in a crash, these straps will not lock like an adult seatbelt does. You should not be able to pinch more than an inch of strap at the child’s shoulders. Also, make sure that the harness straps are in the correct slots. For forward-facing seats, straps should be at or above the child’s shoulders. For rear-facing seats, they should be at or below the shoulders.
3. Children turned face-forward too soon: The minimum standard for children riding face-forward is 1 year old and 20 pounds. The safest way for children to ride is rear-facing, so do not be in a hurry to turn them around too soon. Let them ride rear-facing for as long as the seat weight limit allows. Rear-facing car seats should be positioned at a 45-degree angle
4. Positioning the retainer (chest) clip too low: The chest clip needs to be at the armpit level (on the hard, bony ribcage, not the soft-tissue stomach).
5. Not using a booster seat: Remember that adult seatbelts are not for children. The booster seats help ensure that the seatbelt fits the child in the correct position.
6. Using a car seat that has been recalled: Always send in the registration card on new car seats. Though many throw these out or figure they will only result in junk mail, these allow the company to notify you if your car seat is recalled. For a list of recalled child-safety seats, visit the site www.NHTSA.gov.
Also, experts say it is important to keep any items in the passenger compartment secured in the trunk or under an appropriate cargo net. Groceries, sporting equipment, toys and any other items can become dangerous projectiles in the event of an accident.
The community outreach office of San Diego Medical Services Enterprise, a public-private partnership between San Diego Fire-Rescue and rural/metro ambulance, can put on a free car-seat safety check clinic for your office, school, community group or event. For more information, call (619) 533-4338.
” Loralee Olejnik is a freelance journalist for the San Diego Community Newspaper Group and works for San Diego Medical Services Enterprise.