A motor vehicle accident is one of the greatest threats to the life of a child. But since the enaction of Pennsylvania’s Child Restraint Law in 1993, many lives have been saved and serious injuries have been reduced.
To recognize the important practice of “buckling up,” Pennsylvania has dedicated the week of Feb. 9-15 as Child Passenger Safety Week.
“Proper use of car seats and seat belts is critical,” said Basil Selden, M.D., medical director of Tyrone Hospital. “We don’t want to see people end up in the emergency room that could be prevented.”
Selden said this week is a “good time” for parents to review their child’s safety in the family vehicle.
The state Department of Transportation has provided the following rules to help you use your car seat correctly:
•Read both the car seat instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual before installing car seats;
•All children under 13 should ride in the back seat;
•When installing your child’s car seat place your weight on the car seat. Lock the seatbelt according to the vehicle’s instructions on seat belts or in the owner’s manual. Check the installation to allow no more than one inch of side-to-side or forward movement;
•Infants should ride rear facing and semi-reclined to no more than 45 degrees until at least age one and 20 pounds. Remember, never place a rear facing infant in front of a passenger side air bag. Place the harness in the slots at or below the shoulders. Tighten the harness until it lies in a relatively straight line without any slack or sagging, but not so tight as to press into the child’s body causing discomfort. Adjust the chest clip on the harness to armpit level (if manufacturer provides one.);
•Toddlers ride forward facing and upright once they reach age one and 20 pounds. Children should stay in the forward facing seat with a harness until they are 40 pounds. Place the harness through the top reinforced slots on the seat (unless instructions say otherwise). Tighten the harness until it lies in a relatively straight line without any slack or sagging as indicated above. Place chest clip at armpit level;
•NHTSA recommends all children who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained in a booster seat until they are at least 8-years-old and approximately four-feet, nine-inches tall. Use the belt positioning booster seat with a lap/shoulder belt properly adjusted to fit a small child over the hips and shoulders;
•For children over eight and adults, use a properly positioned seat belt. Properly positioned means that the shoulder belts is across the shoulder and lap belt is low and snug across the hips. Never place a shoulder belt behind the back or under the arm.
As part of the national “Child Passenger Safety Week,” the Blair County Safe Kids Coalition, the Altoona Hospital, the Pennsylvania State Police and Penn Dot District 9 will conduct two child safety seat inspections.
The first will be held 2-5 p.m. today at Thomas Chevrolet Auto Care in Duncansville, and the second will be held from 1-5 p.m. Friday at Dean Patterson’s Chevrolet on Valley View Boulevard in Altoona.
State police in Hollidaysburg will offer seat inspections all week, from noon until 3 p.m.
Parents are encouraged to bring their vehicles with the car seats to the check point area in the parking lot.
The Blair County Safe Kids will provide educational materials that will be distributed to parents and caregivers. The poignant handouts feature children who have lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes as a result of riding unrestrained.
“Although significant progress has been made to educate parents about the correct use of restraints, there is still much work to do to get parents to use appropriate restraints on each and every trip they take with their children, whether it’s a short trip to the grocery store or a road trip to grandma’s house,” said Sherry Turchetta, coordinator of BCSKC.
Certified technicians will inform parents of a new law that requires children under eight years of age to travel in a booster seat. This new Pennsylvania law takes effect Friday, Feb. 21, 2003.
This secondary law states children between the ages of four and eight must be secured in an appropriate fitting booster seat and children between ages eight and 18 must be secured anywhere in the vehicle in a seatbelt system. For example, the driver must be cited for speeding before he or she could be cited for a violation of this law.
Violation of Pennsylvania’s new child passenger safety law carries a maximum fine up to $100 for not securing children less than eight years of age and under in an approved child restraint system. Failure to secure children between eight and 18 carries a fine of $10.
One of the most effective ways to reach parents regarding child passenger safety is at the hospital immediately after the birth of their baby.
Linda Wertz, RN, head nurse at Tyrone Hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit and Newborn Nursery said Tyrone Hospital provides a variety of materials to parents to increase their awareness of child passenger safety. An information packet made up of materials provided by PENNDOT and the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project are distributed to parents while they are at the hospital.
“We also require parents to bring their infant car seat to the hospital with them,” said Wertz. “The nursing staff checks to be sure the car seat is within legal safety limits and we provide assistance regarding how to place and position the infant in the seat. There is also a video available for parents to view.”
Child passenger safety information is also presented in the prenatal education classes provided at Tyrone Hospital. Wertz said parents who attend the prenatal classes get safety information well in advance of the birth of their child.
Wertz said parents of newborns do seem aware of passenger safety.
“It is very rare to see parents come to the hospital without an infant car seat and some awareness safety,” she said.
For more information about child passenger safety, call 1-800-CAR-BELT.
