Highlights on how to protect children from crash-related injuries, deaths

Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from Sept. 18 through Sept. 24, tries to make people aware of what is needed to be done to protect children from traffic accident injuries and deaths.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages one to 12, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. During Child Passenger Safety Week, law enforcement agencies, safety organizations and the medical community will remind parents, grandparents and caregivers that consistent and proper use of child safety restraints in vehicles can be a matter of life or death.

To protect children against being ejected from a vehicle or thrown around violently inside it during a crash, Wisconsin law requires the following four-step progression:

1.       Rear facing child-safety seat in the back seat (if vehicle is equipped with a back seat) when the child:

·         Is younger than 1-year-old or

·         Weighs less than 20 pounds

2.       Forward facing child-safety seat in the back seat (if the vehicle is equipped with a back seat) when the child:

·         Is at least 1-year-old but younger than 4-years-old and

·         Weighs at least 20 pounds but less than 40 pounds.

3.       Booster seat when the child:

·         Is at least 4-years-old but younger than 8-years-old or

·         Weighs at least 40 pounds but less than 80 pounds or

·         Is not 57-inches (4-feet, 9-inches) tall or taller

4.       Safety belt when the child:

·         Is 8-years-old or older or

·         Weighs 80 or more pounds or

·         Is 57-inches tall or taller

An observational survey earlier this year indicates that nearly all children in Wisconsin age 4 and younger are restrained while riding in a motor vehicle. However, recent national studies also show that approximately three out of four child safety seats are not installed properly and might fail to fully protect children in crashes. To ensure maximum protection for children, safety experts recommend that parents and caregivers remember the following points:

§  Comply with the safety-seat manufacturer’s directions and the vehicle instructions for buckling the seat into your car or truck.

§  You cannot be sure about the quality of a used safety seat that you buy at a garage sale or obtain second-hand. The model may even have been recalled for a defect. The best practice is to buy a new safety seat that meets all current federal standards.

§  Make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained and all adults are buckled up. This sets a good example for young children and protects them against being hit by an unbuckled occupant who could be tossed around violently in a crash.

For more information and answers to questions about child passenger safety, contact the Wisconsin Information Network for Safety (WINS) at the following toll-free number at 1-866-511-9467 or at WINS online at www.wcpsa.com. To check for proper installation of safety seats, WINS also sponsors fitting inspections with trained experts around the state.