Kid's Car Safety

[skipspin]

Kids’s Car Safety Brochure Text
Joy Miller, CPST

Some Facts:
8 out of 10 car seats are used incorrectly.
- Patterns of misuse of Child safety Seats, DOT HS 808 440

Motor Vehicle Crashes are the leading cause of all unintentional childhood injury deaths in the US.
- Safe Kids, CDC WISQUARS

Booster seats reduce injury to 4-8 yr olds by 59%.
-JAMA, carseatsite.com/statistics.htm


General Car Seat Guidelines:
* Harness straps should always be snug. You should not be able to "pinch" the straps together when tightened.
* The car seat should have less than 1" of movement at the belt path when installed correctly
* The seatbelt should be locked when any harnessed seat is installed in your vehicle
*Always read the car seat AND vehicle manual and follow both manufacturers instructions!

Infants-Toddlers
Infants must be rear-facing to a minimum of 20 lbs AND 12 months. Safety experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children stay rear-facing to the limits of their convertible seat, which is usually between 30-35 lbs or when the child's head is less than 1" from the top of the seat shell. Many children can rear-face past two years of age. The harness straps should always be in the slot that is at or below the child's shoulders when rear-facing. Good things to look for in any harnessed seat are: A five-point harness, a front adjuster, and harness slots tall enough to last through the expected life of the seat.

Toddlers-Pre-school
Toddlers should be rear-facing as long as possible, but once they exceed the rear-facing limits of their seat they should be forward-facing in a five-point harness until 40 lbs and at least 4 years old depending on maturity. Look for a convertible or combination seat with tall harness slots, and possibly even a weight limit higher than 40 lbs. The straps should always be in a slot that is at or above the child's shoulders for forward- facing.

Pre-school and Beyond:
The safest option is always being in a five-point harness, especially until the child is 40 lbs and old enough to sit correctly in a booster seat for the duration of every trip. There are options to harness children up to 80 lbs. If your child is ready for a booster, then look for a high-back booster that keeps the lap-belt low on hips and the shoulder belt across the shoulder. If you only have lap belts there are other options, but never use a booster with only a lap belt. Low-back boosters are an okay option for older kids, but a high-back provides significant protection in side-impact collisions, which are the most deadly. All kids should be in boosters until they are about 4'9" tall, and pass the 5 step test in the vehicle they are riding in.

Ready for no seat? The “Five Step Test�
*Does the child sit all the way back in the vehicle seat?
*Can their legs bend comfortably over the edge of the seat?
*Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and the arm?
*Is the lap belt low on the child's hips, NOT abdomen?
*Can the child stay seated like this the entire trip?

Recources:
www.car-seat.org

www.Carseatsite.com

www.cpsafety.com

www.usa.safekids.org/skbu/cps/index.html


Printed information is never a substitute for a personal consultation or your owner’s manual. Please contact me or another technician if you have any car safety questions.
Joy Miller
Child Passenger Safety Technician
carseathelp@aol.com

To contact another technician in the US:
http://www.safekids.org/certification/resources.html

[scatterbunny]

That's great, Joy! Do you have a link to a printable version of your brochure?

[skipspin]

Yes, I will try to find a way to post it or email it to those who are interrested once I figure out the computer logistics of it. I used Print Shop to design it because I am familiar with that program, but that means that I have to convert it to a PDF or other format for everyone to use it.

I figured out how to convert it in Microsoft paint, but it wasn't good quality and cut off the bottom :-(

[skaterbabscpst]

If you have or know someone who has an Epson 3-in-1 printer, the scaner gives you the option of saving something you scan as a PDF. It's limited to one page, but it's a start.

[scatterbunny]

Darn. Just let me know when it's ready.

[cmm7]

I am interested in seeing it in brocure form as well! Very well written!

[mamato2]

Me three. Nice 'handout' or e-mail for my kid's schools and playgroups!
C.

[jebedyah]

Joy, I'd love to pass this out to a "moms and twins" class I'm taking. Did you ever figure out how to put it into pdf form? If not, would you mind if I just cut and pasted your text into Word and printed from there?

Also, would it be all right if I added something about using after-market products? The biggest misuse I spy in the class is headrests that obviously didn't come with the seats. I'm thinking of adding a bullet under General Car Seat Guidelines:

* Other than clothing and a light jacket, do not use anything between your child and the seat or harness that did not come with the seat. No head support? Use a rolled-up blanket. Cold? Use a "shower-cap" style cover or a blanket.

[rlsadc]

i can convert to PDF for you if you can email me a copy. (even if it is in paint )

[Judi]

I want it too!

[skipspin]

Okay, thanks to Amber I have the brochure in PDF now. Anyone who wants it can email me at the address below.

[skaterbabscpst]

After the fact I discovered my word processing progam lets me save documents as PDFs - effectively giving me the ability to creat them! Not bad for cheap shareware..... www.openoffice.org for those interested....

[skipspin]

Okay, I emailed it to those who asked for it- finally.

I'm also going to be getting some printed at the end of this month. If anyone wants some (only my cost + shipping media mail) please let me know how many and you can paypal me before I meail them. They will be off my original copy, and it's pretty good quality.
I can send you the ones like emailed that don't have my info on them. (Mine have my contact info on the back!)