Return to Main Menu

Car seat inspections to be offered by safety technicians Feb. 13, 14 Safe Kids Trident Area will hold two child safety seat inspection and safety belt fit events during Child Passenger Safety Week, Feb. 12 - 18, to help parents and caregivers learn how to provide children with the best protection while traveling.   On Feb. 13, child passenger safety technicians will be at the Summerville Fire Station (300 West 2nd North Street), and on Feb. 14 technicians will be at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet (1500 Savannah Highway). Both events will be from 3 to 6 p.m.   Safe Kids Trident Area is joining other Safe Kids coalitions to host more than 200 Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Week events at Chevy and GM dealerships across the country where certified CPS technicians will teach parents and caregivers to install and adjust car seats properly and to determine when an older child is ready to graduate from a booster seat to adult safety belts.   Motor vehicle crashes are the leading killer of children ages 3-14.   “Child passenger safety is not just about babies and toddlers. It’s a commitment that lasts a lifetime,” said Amy Ethridge, Safe Kids Trident Area coordinator. “Too many kids move from a booster seat to a safety belt before they’re big enough.”   Infants and toddlers ride in safety restraints more than 90 percent of the time, but children ages 4-7 ride in safety restraints only 73 percent of the time. “That’s an alarming difference, and it shows that many parents and caregivers are unaware of the importance of booster seats,” Ethridge said.   Children who have outgrown car seats (usually 40 pounds, but some car seats are rated for 60 pounds or more) are safer and more comfortable on a booster seat until they are 4’9” (57”) tall and 80 to 100 pounds — a height and weight most children reach between ages 8-12.   “Comfort is a factor in safety,” Ethridge said. “Kids who can’t sit comfortably on an adult seat are likely to slouch or squirm and move out of a safe position. That’s when adult safety belts may fail to offer full protection to a small child.” A booster seat positions the adult safety belt correctly and also helps a child see out the window.   “You’ll be able to see for yourself whether your child is big enough to be safe in an adult safety belt,” Ethridge said. “Whether you bring your child to one of our checkup events to be weighed and measured and take the Safety Belt Fit Test, or learn the test and perform it at home, you can actually see whether the adult safety belt protects your child better with a booster seat.”   During CPS Week, Safe Kids Worldwide is unveiling a new parent toolkit to help educate children, carpool members and other caregivers about the importance of booster seats.   Safe Kids Trident Area provides car seat inspections throughout the year as well. To find an inspection site or certified technician, call 792-5327. Visit http://www.usa.safekids.org for information about child passenger safety, including a parent toolkit.   Safe Kids Trident Area works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 and under. Its members include individuals and organizations from Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. Safe Kids Trident Area is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury.   Safe Kids Trident Area is led by the MUSC Children’s Hospital.     Friday, Feb. 10, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778, ext. 201.