| Child Passenger Safety Info Trauma from motor vehicle crashes is the number one cause of death in infants and children. A properly installed and used child safety seat dramatically increases your child’s chance of survival in a crash. However, most parents do not use or install safety seats correctly. It is recommended that parents have their safety seat checked by a certified child passenger safety technician to ensure proper installation and use. The best child safety seat is the one that correctly fits your child, fits your vehicle, and is used correctly every time. To help keep children safe in motor vehicles, please follow these helpful guidelines: Always place infants and small children in rear facing child restraints. A child should use a rear facing restraint until he outgrows the maximum rear facing weight/height limits for the child restraint. When an infant outgrows their rear facing infant carrier, they should move to a rear facing convertible seat. A child should never be placed in a forward facing seat until they are at least 1 year of age and 20-22 pounds. However, a child is safest remaining rear facing as long as possible, at least until the age of 2 years. Never place a rear facing child restraint in front of an active frontal airbag. Once a child is forward facing, keep them in a five point harness restraint as long as possible. Check the child restraints maximum height/weight limits for harness use. Once a child is too large for their harnessed restraint, they should move to a belt positioning booster seat until they are at least 8 years old and 4’9” tall. Some kids need to use boosters longer, but all kids should pass the 5 step test before moving out of their booster seat into an adult lap and shoulder belt. You can find the 5 step test here: http://www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm Read both the vehicle owners manual and the child restraint manual to ensure a proper installation. Used child restraints can be unsafe. Do not use a seat that you do not know the history of, such as those purchased from thrift stores, garage sales, etc. If using a seat from a trusted family member or friend, be sure it has never been involved in a crash, is no more than 5 years old, has all parts including the instruction manual, and has not been recalled. You can check recalls here: http://www.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/childseat.cfm Kids ages 12 and under should always ride properly restrained in the back seat. The Plainfield Fire Protection District has child safety seat technicians available to check your seat for proper use and installation. To make an appointment, please call 815-733-7333. There is no charge for fire district residents, however, there is a $10.00 per vehicle fee for non-residents. Please make one appointment for each child restraint in your vehicle. For any questions regarding child passenger safety, child restraint selection, or any other questions regarding the program, please email the program coordinator, Kelly Rogina at krogina@plainfieldfpd.com |
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| Plainfield, Illinois |
