Posted: 9/14/2015
Injury Prevention Center reminds parents of risks for small passengers
Although they’ve been around for decades, using them correctly still confuses a lot of parents. Booster seats are designed to protect children who have outgrown a car seat but are still too small for a seat belt. But according to a 2014 study, a disturbing number of parents allow their children to graduate to a seat belt alone long before they are big enough.
“It’s a safety risk that is deeply concerning,” said Shelli Stephens-Stidham, Director of the Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas (IPC), housed at Parkland Health & Hospital System.
A national report released last year by Safe Kids Worldwide found that nine out of 10 parents move their young child from a booster seat to a seat belt too soon, and seven in 10 parents don’t know what size a child should be to ride in a car without a booster seat. Another alarming fact revealed by the study: one in five parents whose children carpool say they “bend the rules” when driving, letting children ride without seat belts and without the car seat or booster seat they would normally use.
During Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 13-19, parents and guardians of small children are being urged to reduce the risk of death and injury by using a booster seat that is properly installed in the back seat of the car. On Tuesday, Sept. 15 the IPC will hold a car seat safety event at the Chase Bank parking lot, 6300 Harry Hines. Blvd., Dallas, 75235 where certified child passenger safety technicians will provide hands-on advice and instructions on how to use car seats correctly. To schedule an appointment for the event, please call 214.590.4455.
“The important thing to remember is that a child should be at least 57 inches tall (4’9”) and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds to ride in a car with just a seat belt,” Stephens-Stidham said. “Booster seats protect children who are too big for a car seat but too small for a seat belt.”
Boosters are better at preventing injuries than seat belts because in a crash, seat belts alone (without a booster) can cause serious injuries to your child’s abdomen, neck, and back.
Nationwide, motor vehicle crashes are the second-leading cause of death for children ages 4 to 10. In 2013, 480 children in this age group died in motor vehicle accidents and a third of them were unrestrained. A study in the journal Pediatrics reported that children 2 to 5 years of age using safety belts prematurely are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury in a crash than those restrained in child safety seats or booster seats.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years.
In the U.S., all 50 states and the District of Columbia require child safety seats for infants and young children fitting specific criteria. Texas law requires all children younger than 8 years of age, unless they are taller than 4’9,” to ride in appropriate child safety seats used according to manufacturer’s instructions.
With funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, the IPC developed “Give Kids a Boost,” a school-based project that focuses on the education and enforcement of child occupant safety practices. The goal of the project is to increase properly restrained booster seat use among children 4 to 7 years of age in selected elementary schools in Dallas. Give Kids a Boost is currently in its fourth year.
The IPC also conducts frequent child passenger safety fitting stations in high-risk areas of Dallas. At fitting stations, parents/guardians are able to obtain educational information and hands-on training on installing child passenger safety seats correctly. If a child safety seat has been recalled or is no longer appropriate for the child’s age and weight, then a child safety seat is provided and installed by the IPC. To be eligible to receive a free child safety seat inspection, parents/guardians are required to bring the child safety seat and child to the appointment.
For more information about booster seats, visit www.injurypreventioncenter.org. For more information about the Sept. 15 car seat safety event, visit www.parklandhospital.com/CarSeatSafety.