Buckle Up for Child Passenger Safety Week
By Rene Hopkins, RN
Coordinator of SAFE KIDS of East Central Georgia

Augusta, Ga. -- Would you ever allow your child to wander into the middle of a busy intersection? Of course not! Yet every day parents allow their children to ride in cars without using the proper restraints or with the proper restraints used incorrectly.

Motor vehicle crashes are the number-one cause of unintentional injury-related death among children 14 and under. These types of injuries are predictable and preventable with the right education.

When child safety seats and safety belts are correctly installed and used, injuries are prevented and lives are saved. The problem, however, is that many parents don't understand how to correctly use this safety equipment to protect their children.

The National SAFE KIDS Coalition offers the following tips for parents in honor of Child Passenger Safety Week, February 9-15.

• Always use safety belts and/or child safety seats correctly every time you use the car. It's estimated that 75 percent of all car crashes occur within 25 miles of your home.
• Restrain children 12 and under in the back seat. Always read the child's safety seat instruction manual and the car's owner manual for proper installation instructions.
• Unless infants have celebrated their first birthday and weigh 20 pounds or more, they should be in rear-facing child safety seats. Even then, children are encouraged to remain rear-facing longer if their car seat is manufactured to higher rear-facing weight limits. While in a rear-facing seat, your child's head should be one inch below the top edge of the seat, and handles should be placed in the lowered position. Never put a rear-facing infant seat in the front seat of a car with an active passenger air bag.
• Children older than one and weighing between 20 and 40 pounds can use forward-facing child safety seats. Additionally, children ages four to eight or those weighing more than 40 pounds should be placed in a car booster seat and restrained with a belt that has both a shoulder and lap strap. Children come in all different shapes and sizes, so it's important for parents to make sure the restraint is appropriate for the size of the child. If parents are unsure about whether their kids fit the adult safety belts, they can consult a child passenger safety technician (CPS). CPSs can be found at the MCG Children's Medical Center and community health centers.
• A child who is appropriately restrained with a safety belt should have the strap exactly at the hips and upper thighs rather than across the abdomen. When a belt is positioned across the stomach, there is nothing to support the belt but internal organs. If a car crash should occur, the belt would most likely cause soft tissue damage, or internal bleeding.
• Be careful about buying "extras" for your car seat, such as mobiles or other toys. These devices are not tested with car seat use and, in the event of a car crash, could affect the way the car seat protects your child or even cause injury.
• Finally, the best, most expensive car seat is worthless unless it is used. Pick a seat that fits your child, but also one that fits your lifestyle. If you'll be transferring your child from one car to another, find a seat that's lightweight enough for you to carry easily. Or buy two seats.

Help is also there if you need it. Check your local calendar for car seat checks, in which trained technicians will teach you how to correctly use your car seat. In honor of Child Passenger Safety Week, SAFE KIDS of East Central Georgia will host car seat checks on February 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Babies R Us at 220 Bobby Jones Expressway and on February 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Master Pontiac Buick GMC at 3710 Washington Road.

MCG Health System is composed of MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Hospitals and Clinics, Children's Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by offering the highest level of primary and specialty health care.