http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=872981
More MN parents are putting children in booster seats
ST. PAUL, Minn.-- New crash data released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) suggests that more parents are putting their children in booster seats. DPS statistics say that during the years from 2007 to 2009, just 44 percent of booster age children, those 4 to 7 years old, were actually in a booster seat. Between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, that number jumped to 59 percent, translating to more than 1,000 children in booster seats who suffered no injury.
Safety experts say the increase in children riding in boosters coincides with Minnesota's strengthened child passenger safety law, which became effective on July 1, 2009. "Booster seats are a critical step to ensure a child's safety in a vehicle," says Heather Darby, DPS child passenger safety coordinator. "While many parents may think dealing with child seats are a pain, I can't think of any greater pain than losing a child in a crash."
Boosters are for children who have outgrown a forward-facing seat, usually starting around 40 pounds and age 4, and are designed to make an adult shoulder and lap belt fit correctly. Under state law, a child cannot be secured in only a seat belt until they are 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall, whichever comes first. However, it is strongly recommended that parents keep a child in a booster until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall.
Lack of booster seat use results in poor seat belt fit that can contribute to serious injury and ejection from a vehicle in the event of a traffic crash.
The fine for booster seat non-use is $50, but can cost more than $100 with administrative fees.
Darby says National Child Passenger Safety week - and the back-to-school period - is an ideal time for parents to check their car seats to make sure their child is riding safely and properly. She stresses for parents to become aware of the restraint steps a child should progress through as they age and grow.
- Rear-facing infant seats - infants until at least one year and 20 pounds.
- Forward-facing toddler seats - 1 to 4 years old.
- Booster seats - Starting after children have outgrown the forward-facing seat, usually after turning age 4, until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall.
- Seat belts - Over 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall.
- Children should ride in the back seat until age 13; if riding in the front seat, passenger-side airbags must be turned off.
- Turning a child from a rear-facing restraint to a forward-facing restraint too soon.
- Restraint not secured tight enough - the seat should not shift more than one inch side-to-side or out from the vehicle's seat.
- Harness on the child is not tight enough - if you can pinch harness material, it's too loose.
- Retainer clip is up too high or too low - should be at the child's armpit level.
- The child is in the wrong restraint - children must progress through different restraints as they age and grow.
The current AAP recommendations are that children rearface beyond one year to the limits of their convertible seats. Just in the last year or two, there are several new convertible seats available that rearface to 40-45 pounds. Even infant bucket seats now have weight limits to 30-35 pounds. That means our children can rearface to 2, 3, or 4 years of age depending on how they grow.
The rearfacing seat is outgrown rearfacing when the child is over the weight limits and the head is within 1 inch of the top of the plastic shell. Harness straps must be at or below the shoulders when rearfacing. People complaint about the child's legs being scrunched up. Many people are concerned about broken legs if they were ever in an accident. The sad thing is if a child is forward facing too soon, the risks of internal decapitation are that much greater. I would rather have a broken leg than a broken neck on my child.
When forward facing, there are many many options to keep your child safe while harnessed. Many seats harness to 50, 65, 80+ pounds. Harness straps must be at or above your child's shoulders when forward facing. A forward facing seat is outgrown when the wieght limit is surpassed and the shoulders are above the top harness slot (as a general rule). Some seats have further requirements of where the ears are at for height in the headwings as well.
Highback boosters are available to provide a better fit of the vehicle seatbelts than riding in nothing. They offer some side impact protection as well as help remind the child to stay seated properly so that the seatbelt will be in the correct position at all times. Some boosters (high and low back) require there to be a headrest available in that seating position. If there is no headreast available, than a highback booster is almost certainly required to provide the headrest for the child. Imagine whiplash without a headrest available. *cringe*
Children are ready to ride in a highback booster when they are mature enough to stay seated properly at all times and meet all height and weight requirements for the seat, usually around age 5-6 years. The booster must position the seatbelt properly - belt low across hips (not on soft abdoman) and shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and flat against the chest.
As always check your carseat manual and your owner's manual for your vehicle. Have a CPST check your installation of your carseats to ensure that they are properly installed.
The laws are just that, a bare minimum requirement, but we shouldn't want to do the bare minimum for our kids. We should want to do the best we can to keep them safe. It doesn't involve spending a fortune on a super expensive carseat. The best seat for you child is on that fits them properly, fits in your vehicle properly, and is used correctly each and every time.
Turning a child forward facing at 1 year and moving to a lowback booster at 4 years have become rights of passage. We look forward to those times so eagerly when we should be more cautious and want to hold back a little. Keeping our children safe does not always mean doing what everyone else is doing or doing what is convenient. We need to do what is safest for our children. Being a parent is about educating ourselves in order to do what is best for our children.
Check out http://www.car-seat.org/ for more information or to get answers to any questions you may have.
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