Helping Hands: Children’s car-seat safety KMC program’s focus
While progress has been achieved in recent years in preventing the death and injury of children in vehicle crashes, and increasing the correct use of child safety seats, booster seats and safety belts, more work needs to be done.
Kootenai Medical Center is filling this gap with its car seat inspection program, KMC Cares Car Seat Safety. To help families understand how to properly install car seats, KMC offers free inspections and education by certified child passenger safety technicians.
“The safety of your child is important to all of us at KMC,” said Lauren Corcoran, KMC’s community outreach coordinator and car seat technician. “As your community-owned hospital, we want to help ensure that your child is safely restrained and that every ride is a safe ride.”
In addition to the hospital’s weekly inspections every Thursday, KMC has scheduled a free car-seat safety inspection at Knudtsen Chevrolet in the covered service bays, today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Knudtsen Chevrolet, is at 1900 E. Poston Ave. in Post Falls.
“Since four out of five seats are misused, KMC certified technicians can help assure the safest ride possible for your young children,” Corcoran said.
Bring your car seat, vehicle, vehicle owner’s manual and child (if possible) to be checked, and be prepared for a 20-minute wait. A limited number of car seats will be available for qualifying families.
KMC is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Idaho Office of Highway Safety, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to bring these safety inspections to the community.
According to its Web site, the NHTSA seeks to ensure that all children up to age 16 are “properly restrained in the correct restraint system for their age and size every time they travel in a motor vehicle through education, training, enforcement, outreach and legislation.”
Parents will find useful information listed on the NHTSA Web site like the 2006 Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings for child restraint manufacturers. NHTSA’s Ease of Use Ratings program strives to prompt child restraint system manufacturers to improve their products and make them easier for consumers to use.
The site suggests that a parent get a tight fit between the child restraint system and the vehicle seat. This can be accomplished by putting the parent’s weight into the child-restraint system to compress the vehicle seat while tightening the safety belt as much as possible.
Some children require special child restraints. Premature infants, children with respiratory difficulties, orthopedic challenges, and neurological and behavioral problems may require special restraints.
The site also discusses LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, a new system that makes child safety seat installation easier – without using seat belts. LATCH is required on most child safety seats and vehicles manufactured after Sept. 1, 2002.
KMC certified technicians conduct car seat safety inspections every Thursday at the hospital from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on an appointment basis, according to Corcoran.
“Remember, the best child safety seat is the one that fits your child properly, is easy to use, and fits in your vehicle correctly,” Corcoran said. “We’re here to show parents how easy it can be.”
The next free car seat safety inspection in the community will be held May 5 at the Hauser Fire Department. Other inspections will be scheduled throughout the year. Check the KMC Web site, www.kmc.org/carseats, or call KMC Educational Services at 666-2030 for future locations and details.