Download the TNAAP Car Seat Safety Brochure (pdf)
For Immediate Release: January 5, 2007
AAP STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF CAR SAFETY SEATS
CHICAGO -- The nation's pediatricians want to reassure parents that car safety
seats are effective in protecting children. The reassurance is in response to
today's media coverage of Consumer Reports magazine's report on infant car
safety seats. With motor vehicle crashes the number 1 cause of death in
children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reiterates the critical
importance of all children riding properly restrained on every car trip.
Statistics from the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) show
car safety seats save lives:
·The rate of motor vehicle crash deaths in children ages birth to 4 has been
cut nearly in half since 1975, largely because of the use of car safety
seats.
· The lives of almost 8,000 children under age 5 were saved by the use of
restraints since 1975.
· In 2005, the lives of an estimated 420 children under age 5 were saved by
restraint use. If 100% of the children in this age group had been properly
restrained, almost 100 more lives could have been saved.
· Car safety seats reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and by 54% for
children ages 1 to 4 years. Belt-positioning booster seats reduce the risk of
injury by 59% for children ages 4 through 7 years.
"The bottom line is car seats are the most effective way to protect children in
motor vehicle crashes," said AAP President Jay E. Berkelhamer, MD, FAAP.
"Parents should continue to use the proper car safety seat for every child for
every single trip."
The AAP provides the following guidance to parents about protecting their
children in crashes:
· All infants should ride rear-facing until they are at least 1 year old and
weigh at least 20 pounds. It is best to ride rear-facing as long as possible.
· Toddlers should ride in a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness until
they reach the seat's weight or height limit.
· After outgrowing a seat with a harness, children should ride in belt-
positioning booster seats until the seat belts fit properly-the lap belt fits
across the upper thighs, the shoulder belt lies across the chest and shoulder,
and the child can sit against the vehicle seat back with legs bent.
· Children should ride in the rear seat until age 13.
· All passengers should be properly restrained in a car safety seat or seat
belt.
Parents can get help making sure their children are as safe as possible on the road by consulting a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. To find an inspection station, visit http://www.seatcheck.org or call toll-free at 866/SEATCHECK (866/732-8243). For more information about child passenger safety, visit http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care
pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical
specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants,
children, adolescents and young adults.
Car Safety Updates
by Melinda Lucas, M.D.
Chair, Injury and Poisoning Prevention Committee, TNAAP
Inspection Station Update
As a public service, NHTSA maintains a list of locations throughout the United States where child safety seats may be inspected. This information is available to the public through NHTSA's web site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) and is also available at www.tntrafficsafety.org, the website of the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office. The Tennessee list is currently being updated. If you would like to list your agency as an Inspection Station, contact our office.
For Those with CPS Certification
The annual CPS up-date workshops will be especially important to all of us this year as we anticipate re-certifying for a period of two years and as we look at revisions to the Child Passenger Safety manual. This year, Tennessee Child Passenger Safety Center plans to offer one-day workshops in more locations in the state in order to meet your needs. Planning has just begun on dates and locations. To express your interest or to sign up for a workshop, call the Center at 423-392-8036 or e-mail us at Humbert@mail.etsu.edu.
CPS Instructor Beth Norris has created three PowerPoint presentations to be used by CPS Technicians. The presentations are based on the short curricula suggested by the CPS Board and consist of three scripts with PowerPoint slides for illustration. The 45-minute presentation is intended for community presentations; the 4-hour and 1-day workshops serve as an introduction to Child Passenger Safety and illustrate safe installation of child restraints. The presentations are available on CD from Tennessee Child Passenger Safety Center, 1501 University Boulevard, Kingsport, TN 37660, 423-392-8036.
Proper use of child restraint seat will reduce injuries and save lives!
