Cactus Village Community

Child Restraint Systems . . . By CAO Terry Cooper

Jul 10, 2003

Recently I attended a Child Restraint Safety class at the Phoenix Fire Academy, along with CAO Karen Freund and Icela Brown.

Originally we thought the class would be a ?“breeze?” and basically signed up for the class for our own personal information.?— Boy were we surprised. ?— There was soooo much information we learned in four days that our heads hurt. Not to mention the homework and 100 question test that we needed to pass with at least an 85%. Needless to say it was challenging but probably one of the most worthwhile classes I have ever taken. It was amazing how much there was to learn about installing child car seats properly and astonishing how often they are misused. Most of the time this occurs because parents don?’t take the time to read the manufacturer's instructions. Did you know that 53% of children five years and under are not restrained? Of those that are restrained, 96?°/a are used incorrectly.

When properly used, child restraints reduce infant deaths by 71% and reduce toddler deaths by
54%. There are three key things to help you in determining which car seat is best for you and your child:

?• The one that best fits your child
?• The one that best fits your vehicle
?• The one that you will use correctly every time

Not all car seats are suitable for every vehicle, some have weight limits, some are rear-facing infant seats only. READ THE MANTUFACTURER?’S INSTRUCTIONS!

Remember if you want to give a car seat as a gift, it would be best to give a gift certificate so the parent can choose the restraint that?’s best for their vehicle and child.

Arizona law requires children under 5 years of age be properly secured in a child restraint system. If your child has outgrown their car seat, you should consider a Belt Positioning Booster seat which lifts the child up so that the lap and shoulder belt can be worn properly. (Boosters are usually rated between 40 - 80 lbs.). Studies have shown that older children that use the lap and shoulder belt can become ?“submarines?” in a crash and can be ejected when a booster seat has not been utilized. Also, using lap only belts for your older children can cause abdominal soft tissue damage because there is no upper body support from a shoulder belt.

For more information on child restraints or scheduling a car seat safety check-up, please call 602-534-TOTS or you can visit SAFEKIDS.ORG on the website. . . ☺