BPD Inspect Child Safety Seats during National Child Passenger Safety Week Sept. 21-27

Every year, motor vehicle traffic crashes take the lives of hundreds of young children, leaving behind heartbroken parents, family members, and friends. The lifesaving effects of child safety and booster seats are indisputable. However, they work best when used properly. Often times, parents and caregivers are completely unaware they installed a car seat incorrectly, or they have moved their school-age child from a child restraint to a seat belt prematurely, completely skipping the booster seat stage.

According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four child safety seats are improperly installed in vehicles. That’s why the Brownsville Police Department is urging all parents and caregivers to have their seat installation inspected by certified safety technicians Saturday September 27^th from noon -2pm at the Brownsville Police Department at 118 N. Lafayette Street. Parents can also have seats inspected any weekday between 8am – 6pm.

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. They should also get their child restraint inspected by a certified technician to make sure they installed it correctly. Finally, all parents and caregivers should refer to the following 4 steps for Kids guidelines to make certain children are secured properly in an appropriate seat:

1. For the 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 (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds), 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 9 or when they are 4’9” tall).

4. When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 9 or when they are 4’9” tall) they can use the adult seat belts in the back seat, if they fit properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).

When it comes to the safety of a child, there are no excuses. Please stop by the Brownsville Police Department for on-site child seat inspections. Additional information about National Child Passenger Safety Week and proper use of seats can be found at www.nhtsa.gov.