Posted: 9/19/2022
Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 18-24
Buckling up and utilizing the proper car seat are two of many ways to stay safe while traveling on the road with children given that motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“Depending on the crash, a car seat can save a child’s life and can prevent serious injuries,” said Maria Isabel Colunga, Women & Infant’s Specialty Health (WISH) Injury Prevention Program Coordinator at Parkland Health.
And a car seat is exactly what Martha Ramirez says protected her 4-year-old son, Aaron Ramirez, in October 2020 when she was involved in a car crash in Dallas.
“I was turning left and it hit us right in the middle of the side of the car. I believe that his car seat is what kept him in place and safe,” Ramirez said, noting that she had taken a child car seat safety course before the accident and had learned which seat was best for her son as well as the proper way to install it.
“I would tell other parents that it is so important to put your child in the proper car seat even if they are driving a short distance because you never know what could happen,” she said.
An estimated 325 children ages 4 years old and younger were saved by the use of child restraints, according to data published by NHSTA in 2019. The report also noted that 46% of the child safety seats were installed incorrectly.
Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 18-24, a time to bring awareness to car seat safety and educate families on how to properly install one and teach them the correct one to buy depending on their youngster’s age and height.
“Not everyone is aware that Texas law requires to have a child securely placed in a child seat or booster until the age of 8 or until they reach 57-inches in height, whichever happens first. That’s when a vehicle’s seat belt will reach them properly,” Colunga said.
Recommended car seats based on a child’s age from NHSTA are as follows:
- Rear-facing car seat
• Birth-12 months
• 1-3 years: The child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer
- Forward-facing car seat
• 1-3 years
• 4-7 years: The child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer
- Booster seat
• 4-7 years
• 8-12 years: Keep children in a booster seat until they are big enough to fit in a seat belt properly
- Seat belt
• 8 years and over: For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach.
Another area of concern is counterfeit car seats.
“On average we are seeing two counterfeit car seats per week in the newborn discharge area and that’s a lot,” Colunga said. “Parkland can help replace the fake car seat for their patients.”
When a newborn is discharged from Parkland, certified technicians are available to check the car seat before the family leaves the hospital. These experts make sure the car seat is approved under U.S. safety standards.
“A lot of counterfeit car seats don’t have any labels or instructions. It is required for a car seat to have a five-point harness system but the fake version will have just a three-point harness system,” she explains.
In addition, she stresses the importance of being wary of car seats sold online, especially those claiming to be name-brand seats at a heavily discounted price.
“I don’t recommend parents or guardians use an expired car seat or one that has been in a serious car crash. The information of when a car seat expires is typically included on the labels and instruction manuals,” Colunga said, adding that safety seat labels should include the manufacturer or distributor’s name and contact information as well as the date of manufacture.
Colunga also cautions against purchasing used car seats, such as from consignment shops or discount stores, unless you can be 100% sure of the seat’s history.
As for Ramirez, she and her son were not seriously harmed in the car crash. She had already scheduled a car safety course with Parkland before the incident and Parkland was able to replace her crashed car seat with a new one.
If a parent or guardian is interested in knowing more about car or booster seat installation, you can receive more information by calling Parkland’s WISH Injury Prevention Car Seat Program at 214-590-5316. For more information about Parkland, please visit www.parklandhealth.org.