Day 3 of my CPS cert, and a question.

Well, I just lost my whole post

Anyway, the shortened version:

It's day 3 of my CPS cert. class, and we had the "who sits where" exercise. Basically, it was the same question that I posed last week (http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=17201). My instructor (who I respect very much, she's great, a fantastic resource, and was one of the first techs, started TECHS in Pittsburgh, contributed to NHTSA, etc) said that the infant should be in the middle, and the toddler outboard, because the 3 y.o. would be better equipped phyisically to survive a crash. I really understand the "least protected child in the most protected spot" reasoning, but she shot it down (quote: lateral crashes are the most deadly, and you don't want an infant accepting the brunt of that force). I really understand her argument as well. Is this just a "depends on who you ask" thing?

P.S., I brought my osteology printouts, with the side-by-sides of a 1 y.o. and 6 y.o. pelvis, which went over really well. So all the soon-to-be techs are all pro extended RFing, which is awesome.

Yeah, it's a strong dichotomy between the camps: Those of us who understand rearfacing to be SO much safer than forward facing (4 times safer, in latest research), and those who think the 'more fragile' infant needs to be in the middle. I'm not sure if there's a good data set to back either view up... oh goody, something to search for (but all the really super techs I know subsribe to 'most protected child in the least protected spot' and have the same arguments with their 'higher ups' who don't spend hours online researching every day, lol).



Ok, this is from www.thecarseatlady.com (a Pediatrician working at CHOP) "Currently, the largest available source of information on children in real world crashes comes from the Partners for Child Passenger Safety study (www.chop.edu/injury). Less than one percent of crashes reported to PCPS involved infants in rear-facing seats in side-impact crashes – with a risk of injury of less than one-half of one percent."


And this: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/chop-htb090905.php

"According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42 percent of child fatalities to rear-seated children ages 0 to 8 years occur in side-impact collisions. Overall, side-impact crashes kill about 300 American children under age 8 each year and result in more severe injuries at lower crash severities than frontal collisions."


Now, I'm not a statistician, but it sure looks like the bigger kids are at more risk in a side impact than the infants, doesn't it?

Can I just say you're my hero? Because you are.

Now, I feel like it would be totally inappropriate to bring her that information tomorrow, right before the Big Test and seat check, so I'm going to email it to her tomorrow night, after all is said and done (is that chicken of me? I want her to like me so that she invites me to TECHS events )

P.S. Where do you live in Virginia, Julie? Cuz I want to move there and be your friend

Come on down, our girls are the same age, even .

Yeah, don't go against the curriculum during class... build up a good reputation before you let on how much you really know