teachers: what do you do when you see unsafe car seat use?

MissieCSZ

New member
Or lack of child seat use altogether?

Learning about car seat safety recently has me noticing/remembering the absolutely horrendous lack of parent awareness and appropriate usage of car seats. I teach elementary school and regularly see 5-year-olds hop into the front seat, unbuckled even; kids riding on parents' laps; toddlers being buckled in with an adult seat belt. I'm not a law enforcement officer, of course, and as the school has no driveway, these pickups are actually taking place on a public (and quite busy I might add) street that is not on school property.

Laws in my state aren't (IMO) strict enough on this, I believe it's just that they must RF until a year and that they be in some sort of restraint appropriate for their height/weight until age 7 or 57"...however, that is probably at least half of the children in a K-5 school that should not be using just a seat belt.

So I'm wondering what other teachers do, and what I could/should do, to encourage better car seat use, particularly in a low-income urban area with a large immigrant population. Would you nicely point out a car seat error to a parent if you saw them making one? I don't want to overstep my bounds or alienate parents, but I do think a lot of people simply don't know any better.
 
ADS

tjham

New member
I substituted in a 1st grade class once where the teacher had a stack of booklets to be passed out with booster seat info. I was so excited to do it! I talked it up a little too! ;)

I don't know what limitations teachers have about giving out info. You would probably have to go thru your principal.

Good luck!
 
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Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Stick around for a while and just sit back and watch and read. :)

You'll get some ideas about what is worth fighting, what is worth referring, and what is best to ignore. The techs and advocates here are SO incredible, and they will pass along great information about what they do. Most of what I've learned has been learned through just reading what they say. :)
 

VoodooChile

New member
Does your school have a CSO? My dd's school (where she went for kindy) was truly frightening at pickup, and I think someone said something to him, because he started sitting out there a few times a week at pick-up. I also got a flier for a seat check at the school a few months later.
So that could be a place to start.
 

Ali

New member
I had to ask to be moved from parent pick up duty. It was just too horrible to watch. I now stay in our lunchroom and supervise breakfast.

My principal has forbidden me to approach parents regarding car safety. We have had our local police and fire departments come in and do assemblies/parent nights.
 

MissieCSZ

New member
All teachers at my school dismiss their own students. Getting out of doing this is just not an option. What is a CSO? (I'm quite certain we don't have one...)
 

Kamy04

New member
I can't really do anything. I hate field trip days because then I SEE the misuse.

We did have a child, new to the country, riding in the front seat with no booster (age 4). They did let a teacher go out and gently let those parents know the law.

I took my DS on one of my classes field trips last year. I plopped him in another parents car rear-facing...the other child had the same seat but forward faced. DS and the other child are about the same size. She was amazed he liked RF and fit. That allowed for a good exchange between that mother and me, where I could nonchalantly tell her about RF and the new recommendations ;)

I try and work it into conversations when I can, but I can't tell a parent what to do.

Oh, and I was riding in my directors car once and I put my hand on his infant sons base and it moved INCHES. I discovered they didn't know to lock the belt! I was like "woah, let me fix this" and installed it right. I don't think he appreciated it, but at least I could breathe easier.
 

tam_shops

New member
Smart to ask to be removed from pick up duty. And, WOW to being forbidden to approach parents about safety. I'm a little surprised and wonder if he's even got the authority to do that. Unless of course someone complained about you to him, then he'd have a valid case. Otherwise, here BC Canada, no one can tell us what/how/when to teach...
I had to ask to be moved from parent pick up duty. It was just too horrible to watch. I now stay in our lunchroom and supervise breakfast.

My principal has forbidden me to approach parents regarding car safety. We have had our local police and fire departments come in and do assemblies/parent nights.


My school also has a high new immigrant population. I teach Child Development and have an entire section on car seat safety. I cover *all* the stages (for those w/ siblings & you never know what will stick). I only teach best practice, though do discuss safe vs legal. Then tell them to come back and see me when they have a new babe w/ a car seat. When I introduce myself at the beginning of the year I tell them I am a CRST and ask who has younger siblings, then make a mental note of who to get around to grill during free time to make sure their siblings are safe.

tam
 

Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I was with a kindergarten class last semester and the car seat usage was atrocious. When I have my own classroom, I plan to send SOMETHING home if I'm allowed. We shall see.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I was with a kindergarten class last semester and the car seat usage was atrocious. When I have my own classroom, I plan to send SOMETHING home if I'm allowed. We shall see.

Please don't be disappointed if you are told you cannot send anything home. :eek: You might be allowed to talk to your school resource officer (if your school has one), who might be allowed to intervene, but teachers might be restricted in what they can do.
 

MissieCSZ

New member
My school is pretty lax about that kind of thing. Most of it is left up to the teachers. I can certainly send home anything I want to my own class, but they're 4th grade so 9-10 years old and a lot of them are in fact out of booster range by then. I did teach in a district that was very strict about sending things home and it all had to be approved by a certain office and by the principal, but really, my current district has enough on its hands without also policing teacher-parent communication.

I found this flyer http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Traffic Injury Control/Articles/Associated Files/4StepsFlyer.pdf and I might copy it and send it home at some point in September. I will need to find a Spanish version too though, and I'd love to have Vietnamese and Khmer, although I'm guessing those last two are wishful thinking!

Why would a principal forbid a teacher (especially one who is also a CPST!) from talking to parents about this? Liability? Unless the teacher has a history of getting into screaming matches or fist fights with parents over car seat issues or something...I can't imagine why this would not be allowed.
 

thekatie

New member
My school is pretty lax about that kind of thing. Most of it is left up to the teachers. I can certainly send home anything I want to my own class, but they're 4th grade so 9-10 years old and a lot of them are in fact out of booster range by then.

J1 is in 5th grade this year, and there are 2 students in his grade in boosters (him, and my friend's DD). Last year in 4th grade they were still the only 2 kids in boosters. I think 2 other kids used boosters in 3rd grade...

But, regardless of how many USE boosters, there is only ONE in his grade that 5-steps in any vehicles (my car is not one of them, and this kid hates riding in my car because I make him sit in a "stupid baby seat"). By law, yes, the whole class is able to ride booster-less, but not safety-wise.

I'm not a teacher though, just an involved parent, so I have no problem opening my mouth and telling anyone who will listen about best practice.... or at least minimum law requirements...
 

MissieCSZ

New member
J1 is in 5th grade this year, and there are 2 students in his grade in boosters (him, and my friend's DD). Last year in 4th grade they were still the only 2 kids in boosters. I think 2 other kids used boosters in 3rd grade...

But, regardless of how many USE boosters, there is only ONE in his grade that 5-steps in any vehicles (my car is not one of them, and this kid hates riding in my car because I make him sit in a "stupid baby seat"). By law, yes, the whole class is able to ride booster-less, but not safety-wise.

I'm not a teacher though, just an involved parent, so I have no problem opening my mouth and telling anyone who will listen about best practice.... or at least minimum law requirements...

Yeah, I'm guessing about half my class should still be in boosters, but they're all beyond the 7 years old law, so that's a little harder. A lot of parents actually think that means they *have* to stop using one at 7. Law also says 57" though so 4'9" and I bet all but 2 or 3 of my 4th graders are under that.
 

sm1982

New member
I think handouts in the kids backpack is a good approach. Does your local police station do safety lessons for kids? They usually go over car safety in addition to bike and street safety. If not, you could do your own lesson on safety. Maybe address the PTA with your concerns and hope they can help spread your message.

10 years ago I worked an after-school program at an elementary school. I had kindergarten and first graders in my group. I knew enough that I knew the kids belonged in the backseat and in a booster. It was right around the time NY upped their booster age to either 7 or 8 (previously it had been only up to age 4). Most kids rode in nothing, some even in the front seat. But one family had their petite 5 year-old still harnessed, so it really stuck out. I realized a few years later that was the first Britax I ever saw :)
 

Baylor

New member
It all depends on the laws for the state also which sadly to say are not up to good practice standards.

I came here as a zealot. I thought I knew it all and then I was going to save all the kids from bad usage....

Yeah... no..

First unless you are a tech, Most people don't really care what you have to say, They will just take it as meddling and get their back up.
The best thing is to find out your state laws for kids and car restraints and ask the school to hang those guidelines in the lobby or send them home.

JMO
 

MissieCSZ

New member
It all depends on the laws for the state also which sadly to say are not up to good practice standards.

I came here as a zealot. I thought I knew it all and then I was going to save all the kids from bad usage....

Yeah... no..

First unless you are a tech, Most people don't really care what you have to say, They will just take it as meddling and get their back up.
The best thing is to find out your state laws for kids and car restraints and ask the school to hang those guidelines in the lobby or send them home.

JMO

I definitely don't think I'm going to "save" all kids from anything--I'm not that naive. I gave up that idea pretty early in my teaching career. I still think parents should have adequate information though at least about the minimum laws. After all we send home nutrition pamphlets published by the USDA. Why not a flyer of some sort put out by the NHTSA?
 

Baylor

New member
Because one is about eating and one is going to be taken as a judgment on their parenting..
It just is.. I don't know why people are so offended about people wanting to make their kids as safe as they can be in a car, but for some reason it can make them Crazy when you bring it up.

I'm just telling you my experience and I am sure I am not the only one. Im going to bet that if you send 30 pamphlets about car safety, at least one will be offended maybe more.

Im not saying it is a horrible idea but I have teachers in my family and I know they can not send home anything about well being or not related directly to learning without permission from the office.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Why would a principal forbid a teacher (especially one who is also a CPST!) from talking to parents about this? Liability?

Liability is precisely the issue.

I work with teachers who are also RN's, are attorneys (JD), and have other such professional degrees/credentials (in addition to their teaching licenses, I mean). They are not allowed to give medical advice, legal advice, etc. because that is the not part of their job.
 

MissieCSZ

New member
Because one is about eating and one is going to be taken as a judgment on their parenting.

The nutrition one could be taken as a judgment on their parenting too. "What, you think I don't know how to feed my own kids?"

So I guess your advice, going back to my original question of what to do when you see unsafe car seat use is...try to ignore it.
 

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