Child Passenger Safety Week September 14^th-20^th

Dover – It’s not always easy to know how to correctly secure children in car seats in all types of vehicles. Three out of 4 parents in Delaware do not install their child’s car seat properly. So Delaware and the rest of the nation recognize National Child Passenger Safety Week September 14-20 to promote the correct and consistent use of child safety seats. Children using incorrectly installed car seats face dramatically increased rates of death and injury in the event of a crash.

OHS and Bucklebear will be distributing important information in the community on child passenger safety including tip sheets, how to register your car seat, and where to find car seat fitting stations. Fitting stations are conveniently located statewide and staffed by certified child passenger safety technicians who will inspect the car seat for correct installation and show you how to properly position your child in the seat. Call for an appointment at one of these locations.

Wilmington                                             DMV Dover DMV                                                 DSP Troop 7
2230 Hessler Blvd                                 303 Transportation Cir.                                      18006 Coastal Hwy, Lewes
302.434.3234                                        302.744.2749                                                       302.744.2749
Tuesday 9:00 am – 1:00 pm                 Tuesday 9:00 am – 1:00 pm                               302.387.2324
Wednesday 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm           Wednesday 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm                         By appointment only
Thursday 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

OHS is also offering other opportunities statewide for families to get their car seats checked for free at the following locations:

Friday Sept. 19, 2014 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Christiana Care Hospital- Maternity Department
4755 Ogletown-Stanton Rd, Newark
Open to the public, no appointment necessary

Saturday Sept. 20, 2014 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Dover DMV
303 Transportation Circle
302.744.2749
No appointment necessary

There are 4 steps for child safety as they grow; rear facing, forward facing, booster seat use, and seat belt use. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parents to keep their children in rear facing car seats until the age of 2. Delaware law sets a minimum standard that gives parents flexibility to meet the new best practice recommendation set by the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Delaware law simply requires a child to be “properly secured according to manufacturer’s instructions” in a child safety seat “that is appropriate for the child’s age/weight and height” up to age 8 or 65 lbs in weight, whichever comes first. Ages 8 – 16 must be secured in a seat belt.

OHS is encouraging parents to follow the wording in the NHTSA guidelines which were also updated to closely mirror the new recommendations by the AAP, but may be easier for parents to understand and follow. These guidelines recommend that parents keep their 1 – 3 year olds “rear facing as long as possible”, and focus more attention on obeying the manufactures weight and height limits on individual seats using age as a broad guide for rear facing vs. forward facing instead.

Parents who would like to learn more about the 4 steps for child safety and to find the times and dates of car seat check locations can visit OHS website at http://www.ohs.delaware.gov/carseat, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe, or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.

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