Wing Safety puts safety seats first

  • Published
  • By David Oneil
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing safety specialist
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Three out of four child safety seats are improperly installed into vehicles according to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 6th Air Mobility Wing Safety office is urging all parents to check any and all child restraint devices for proper installation. 

Every year, motor vehicle crashes take the lives of hundreds of young children, leaving heartbroken parents, family members, and friends. The lifesaving effects of child safety and booster seats are indisputable. Parents and adults who care for children need to make sure they get it right. For starters, they need to carefully read the child safety seat instructions, in addition to the vehicle owner's manual instructions regarding installing a safety seat. 

The following four step guideline will help to make certain children are secured properly in an appropriate seat: 

1. For best possible protection, keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible, up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds. 

2. When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds), they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds). 

3. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats, they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until they are old enough that the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4'9" tall). 

4. When children outgrow their booster seats, they can use the adult seat belts in the back seat, if they fit properly. 

The proper installation of child safety seats are paramount but the Wing Safety offices also reminds Team MacDill members good driving and car safety information too. 

1. Be a good role model. Make sure you always wear your seat belt. This will help your child form a lifelong habit of buckling up. 

2. Never leave your child alone in or around cars. Any of the following can happen when a child is left alone in or around a vehicle: 
   - Temperatures can reach deadly levels in minutes, and the child can die of heat stroke. 
   - He can be strangled by power windows, sunroofs, or accessories. 
   - He can knock the vehicle into gear, setting it in motion. 
   - He can be backed over when the vehicle backs up.
   - He can become trapped in the trunk of the vehicle. 

3. Always read and follow manufacturer's instructions. If you do not have the manufacturer's instructions for your car safety seat, write or call the company's customer service department. They will ask you for the model number, name of seat, and date of manufacture. The manufacturer's address and phone number are on the label on the seat. Also be sure to follow the instructions in your vehicle owner's manual about using car safety seats. 

Team MacDill members who might need installation help, should contact the 6th Air Mobility Wing Safety Office at 828-3385, or a list of certified CPS Technicians is available by state or ZIP code on the NHTSA Web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/contacts. A list of inspection stations -- where you can go to learn how to correctly install a car safety seat -- is available in English and Spanish at www.seatcheck.org or toll-free at 866/SEATCHECK (866/732-8243). You can also get this information by calling the toll-free NHTSA Auto Safety Hotline at 888/DASH-2-DOT (888/327-4236) from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday.