car seats -

This month’s issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons features research which takes a look at standards regarding child safety seats and the adherence to those benchmarks among parents.  The study has some important information for those looking to ensure the safety of their kids.

Although children up to the age of 8 should be placed in some kind of supplemental protective device, few parents actually understand this is the case.  Once a child hits the age of four, an estimated 46% parents mistakenly believe that they could sit their kids in a regular seat without the assistance of a booster unit.  Not only does putting a kid in a normal adult seat too soon put their safety at risk, but the children become more privy to hip contusions, spinal damage, and pelvic fractures.

When parents neglect to put kids under five years old in a child restraint, the results can be catastrophic.  Researchers looked at available fatality data and found that 46% of those kids younger than five who died in a crash were not restrained in any way.

So what can parents do to protect their kids?  Kids younger than eight should be seated in the center backseat.  They should be in a rear-facing unit until they’re two years old and 20 pounds, at which point a transition can be made to a front-facing unit.  Boosters should then be used until a kid is eight and at least 60 pounds.

A car seat safety check was held last Friday in Duncan, Oklahoma.  The Central Fire Station was set up to enable concerned parents to bring their vehicles by to ensure that their car seat was installed in the correct manner.  Inspectors also kept an eye out for carseats that were no longer legal or those that weren’t necessarily being used correctly given the age and size of the child.  Carseats at a reduced price were also available to those in need.  The event also functioned as a training operation of sorts for the 17 inspectors who recently underwent education as to proper carseat usage.  Their certification to carry out inspections will last for a couple years.  Safe Kids Oklahoma assisted the local fire department with the event.

Click here for more about the event.

Laws requiring the use of child safety seats are widespread, but New Zealand has one of the weakest in the world.  The country previously only required kids up to the age of five to utilize some kind of safety seat. That’s likely why the residents of the Western Bay of Plenty are supporting a change to the law there that will raise the upper end of the age requirement to seven years old. The Associate Minister of Transport announced the law change.

Click here for more about the new law.

In January, California passed a law that makes it mandatory for every child to be safely secured in a child seat until the child is eight years old or has reached a height of 4’9″. Each year, children die because they have not been properly restrained in a vehicle.  The new law can be read about at the CHP’s website. There, consumers will find all the details and exceptions to the law and where they apply.  There is also a number available to report those who do not have their children in the proper seat.

Click here for more information.

As part of the Good Egg campaign, there was an event held in Bath, England for parents looking to get their child’s safety seat checked for free. This event was held in the hopes that people would bring in their cars and let experts check that all the straps and buckles were secure and that the seat was the correct size. Inspectors at the event found that more than 50% of the seats brought in were installed incorrectly.

To learn more about the event, follow this link.

In a bid to reduce spinal injuries among Maryland children, a doctors’ group has advocated a new law requiring children to be buckled in a safety seat if they are younger than eight years of age. This new law, which will go into effect today, makes it so that children more than 65 pounds in weight are no longer exempt from safety seats. The only exemption occurs if a child is taller than 4 feet 9 inches in height.

To learn more about the law, click here.

Healthy Communities Wyandotte and the Public Health Department are sponsoring a car seat and bicycle safety event for kids and their parents at Kansas City, Kansas’s Indian Springs Shopping Center this weekend. Free bike helmets and car seats will be distributed at the event, which is designed to encourage children to travel safely on foot, on bicycles, and in automobiles. A course for kids who bring their own bikes, as well as a bicycle check-up and repair activity, will be among the festivities.

Follow this link to learn more about the event.

In Londonderry, New Hampshire, certified child safety seat inspectors recently provided relevant safety information to parents. At the Family Safety Day, ten inspectors teamed up with local fire and police officials, as well as the Moose Hill School PTA, to promote safety in the area. A spokesperson for the state’s Safe Kids program stated that about 80% of child seats are improperly installed.

Click here for more about the event.

A problem presenting itself across the United States is the improper use of child safety seats while driving. A large number of parents have issues with proper installation or have made poor selections in terms of the type of seat they buckle their child into. Over 20 police agencies recently came together in Wilmington, North Carolina to help parents correct potential problems.

Click here to learn more about the event.

A free car seat check was recently held in El Centro, California by the California Highway Patrol.  The event was designed to help parents learn how to safely install their child’s safety seat according to manufacturers’ guidelines. Inspectors also made sure that the seats were up to safety standards. A properly installed safety seat can greatly reduce a child’s risk of injury in a car accident.

Click here to learn more about the event.