BOOST 'EM!

by Lisa Cochran, from the October 2002 Newsletter

Child Restraint Devices (CRDs) have come a long way in the past few years. Yet, a day does not go by where some child could have been saved from death or disability if only they had been buckled into an appropriate infant, toddler or booster seat. The major reasons why children are at risk are: some caregivers are lax in enforcing the use of safety devices; some have installed the car seat or booster seat improperly; some buckle their child into the seat incorrectly or have placed the child in a device that does not fit their weight and height.

Four out of five children who are buckled into a safety seat are at risk of injury or death due to improper installation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that consumers get the car seat thing wrong more than 85% of the time. Parents make mistakes by adjusting the belts too loosely over the shoulders. Other times, the crosspiece is too low to keep a child restrained properly. Shoulder straps should come through the seat, back just above the shoulder, and be tightened so that you cannot pinch the fabric together. Crosspieces should be positioned no lower than the armpits.

Some other common problems occur when children are placed into recalled, damaged, or outdated seats; children are put forward-facing too soon; the car seat is placed in the vicinity of an air bag or is in the front rather than the rear seat; locking clips are not used or are in the wrong place. Finally, one of the biggest and most common problems deals with appropriate device type and size. As a child gets older, it is not uncommon to find them in the wrong seat for their age, size, and weight.

This brings us into an often-overlooked aspect of child restraint devices: the booster seat. Some parents believe that if booster seats are not mandatory, they are unnecessary, that at age four or 40 pounds, kids are supposed to "graduate" to adult seat belts even though they don't fit properly. The State of Washington recently passed legislation requiring children to be at least six years old or 60 pounds before they can "graduate" to adult seat belts. Unfortunately, Idaho doesn't value its children enough to legislate laws to protect them. Even if an officer were to pull over a vehicle with unrestrained children, it is only a small fine ($86).

Laws or no laws, car crashes are the top killer and cause of acquired disability in children. Children who are not in a booster seat can be injured in even low impact collisions. Early graduation into a restraining system created and designed for an adult frame causes a smaller frame to either be ejected from their belts or be severely injured by "seat-belt syndrome," in which an abdominal organs are contused, ruptured or severed. Early graduation of kids into adult lap and shoulder belts is a leading cause of child-occupant injury and deaths. In contrast, booster seats bring the youngster into proper position by allowing the shoulder belt to lie smoothly across the shoulder and chest while allowing the lap belt to fit low and snug across the hips and upper thighs. And don't think an add-on device is the answer; tests show that repositioning devices are ineffective. In fact, the NHTSA is recommending that warning labels be posted on all such products.

What is the answer to keeping our kids safe? Always use a car seat for infants and babies. Never carry them in your arms. Do not use a seat older than five years or one that has an unknown history or that has been in an accident. When you buy a new car seat, be sure to send in the registration card so that the manufacturer will notify you if there is a recall. Choose a seat that allows for rear-facing up to 30 or 35 pounds; don't rush to turn your babies around as studies show that rear-facing is safer until their neck muscles, bones and ligaments develop. For older babies and toddlers, a forward-facing seat that can hold up to at least 40 pounds is essential. For children from a minimum of 80 pounds but preferably to100 pounds, use a booster seat. Use adult seat belts only when they fit them properly.

Art Lindquist of the Moscow Police Department is passionate about increasing public awareness about CRDs. Call him at 882-COPS (2677) to have him personally inspect your child's restraint device. Officer Lindquist is part of the Boost America Program, a grassroots safety coalition to educate parents on the importance of car and booster seat use. He is looking for people who want to become certified to inspect CRDs so that our children are safeguarded from needless death and injury.

Lisa Cochran is a longtime resident of Moscow and parent of a 4 year old.

Copyright: Copyright on articles and recipes are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted.

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