National Child Passenger Safety Week September 16^th – 22^nd

Dover – The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) will conduct a “National Seat Check Saturday” event on Sept. 22 at the Community Bank Delaware in Lewes.  Certified child passenger safety technicians will be on hand from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to check car seats for proper installation and advise parents and caregivers how to choose the right car seats and install them properly in their vehicles.  The event is taking place as part of Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 16-22), and is free to the public.

This special week is dedicated to promoting 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.

“You can never predict or control what other drivers might do or how the weather might change the safety of a roadway,” said Jana Simpler, Director for OHS.  “As a mother, I know the best way to protect our children from injury or death in a crash is to put them in the right car seats for their age and size and use those seats correctly on every trip, every time.

OHS child passenger Fitting Stations will also be open during the week and taking appointments for car seat checks.  Call for times and dates.

Wilmington DMV         Dover DMV                        DSP Troop 7-Lewes

2230 Hessler Blvd       303 Transportation Cir.    18006 Coastal Hwy

302.434.3234                  302.744.2749                    302.853.1014

Parents are urge to follow NHTSA’s car seat recommendations that recommend parents and caregivers keep children in their restraint types for as long as possible according to manufacturer instructions before moving them to the next type. For maximum safety, a parent or caregiver should have the car seat installation inspected by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician to ensure their children are in the right seats for their age and size.  Children 12 and under should always ride in the back seat.

Birth – 12 months

For the best possible protection, your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.

1 – 3 years

Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until the child reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. This may result in many children riding rear-facing to age 2 or older. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

4 – 7 years

Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until the child reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat.

8 – 12 years

Keep your child in a booster seat until the child is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face.

Remember:

• Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size, choose a seat that fits in your vehicle, and use it on every trip, every time.
• Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions; read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system; and check height and weight limits.
• To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
• Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.

Delaware law requires each child to be properly restrained in a motor vehicle and children under the age of 8 or 65 lbs in weight (whichever comes first) to be properly secured in a child safety seat.  Additionally, in vehicles with airbags, children under the age of 12 must be seated in the back seat of the vehicle, and it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure everyone in the vehicle is buckled up and properly secured.  The fine plus fees for violating the law is $83.50.

To learn more about the 4 steps for child safety and to find the times and dates of car seat check locations visit OHS website at http://www.ohs.delaware.gov/information/cps.shtml and www.safercar.gov/therightseat.  Also follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and Like Us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE for regular campaign updates.

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