APTOS – The Safe Kids Chapter of Santa Cruz County invites parents and caregivers to attend a child safety seat checkup event hosted by Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District on September 28, following National Child Passenger Safety Week of September 15-21. English and Spanish-speaking certified child passenger safety technicians will be available to provide hands-on instruction on proper installation and use of child safety seats from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at 6934 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Families are advised to call Erin Collins at 685-6690 to reserve an appointment, as space is limited and drop-ins may not be seen if the event fills to capacity. Spanish speakers should call 454-4317.
“It’s the responsibility of every parent and caregiver to make sure their children are safely restrained in a child safety seat or seat belt every time they ride,” noted Carol Wallace, Fire Marshal at Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District. “We find that everyone who attends this kind of event learns something that can help them keep kids safer in and around cars.”
Car crashes remain the leading cause of death for children 1-13 years old, and the best way to protect them is to use a car seat designed for their age and size installed correctly in the vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For maximum protection, the following 4 Steps for Kids guidelines are recommended by NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics to determine the safest way for children to ride, according to their age and size:
- All infants and toddlers should ride in rear-facing car seats in the back seat, until reaching the height or weight limit of their seat. It is recommended that children remain rear facing up to about two years of age. Never put a rear-facing seat in front of an active airbag.
- When children outgrow their rear-facing convertible seats, they should ride in the back seat in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the car seat (usually around 40 to 50 pounds, depending on child’s physical and developmental needs).
- Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats, they should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit them properly and they will stay safely in position for the duration of the ride. California law requires that children remain in a booster or other federally-approved child safety seat until they are age 8 years old or 4’9” tall.
- 4. When children outgrow their booster seats and are developmentally ready, they can transition to the seat belt only. Seat belts fit properly when the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat, the lap belt lies low across the hips, touching the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest and shoulder without touching the neck. Children under 13 years of age should ride in the back seat.
For more information on child passenger safety and other local events and resources for families, please call 454-5477. Funding for this event was provided in part through a grant from CA Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.