Posted: 9/16/2014
Child Passenger Safety Week
All images courtesy of www.safercar.gov.
This time of year, people all over the world are looking forward to the changing of the seasons. Nights are becoming cooler, days are becoming shorter, families are perfecting their morning routines, and in some areas, it has already begun to snow. But for a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, that is not the case. Shorter days and cooler nights mean that one thing is approaching, and that one thing is National Child Passenger Safety Week.
And now that time is upon us. September 14th through 20th is National Child Passenger Safety Week, and we will be giving you some tips throughout the week to help ensure that ALL of the passengers in your vehicle are safe. We will finish out the week on National Seat Check Saturday, where there will be a Community Seat Check Station in Lakeland at the Tax Collectors office. The station will be open free to the public between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The address of the location is 916 N Massachusetts Ave, Lakeland, FL 33801.
In 2012, among children under the age of five in cars, an estimated 284 lives were SAVED by child restraints, also known as car seats. That is a lot of lives saved.
Car crashes, however, are the leading cause of death for children ages 1-12.
Our goal is to see the number of deaths decrease while the number of lives saved increases. Unfortunately, we also know that approximately 90% of child restraints are installed incorrectly, putting children at risk. In order for us to help increase the number of children traveling safely, we need your help.
The first step is to determine whether or not your child is in the correct child restraint. You can do this based off of the age, weight, height, and developmental levels of your child. The owner’s manual of your car seat is your friend, and will tell you what the height and the weight limits of the seat are. If the owner’s manual has eluded you, check the labels on the restraint itself. Although not as informative as the manual, the labels will typically give you the appropriate limits. For more information on age and size limits, we have included a chart below that can get you started.
Choosing the right child restraint is just as important as the installation of that restraint. If you are new to the world of child restraints, this can be a very overwhelming journey, but we are here to help you along the way. If you need assistance, whether it be with choosing the right child restraint, installing the restraint, or putting the child in the seat, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Contact Chase Webber at 863.519.8900 ext. 294 or cwebber@heartlandforchildren.org.
Additional Information
Be sure to use the hashtags #MyWhy and #CPSWeek on social media to join the conversation!