Orange County, UTI Create Child Passenger Safety Awareness with Car Seat Inspections

As part of National Child Passenger Safety Month in September, Universal Technical Institute’s Orlando campus recently partnered with SAFE Kids Orange County Coalition to sponsor a free on-site safety inspection that installed children’s car seats and educated parents about the importance of proper child passenger restraints.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes are the leading cause of death for children under 13 in the United States. To best protect children in crashes, car seats must be installed and used properly – but only 1 out of 4 meets that standard.

“One of the biggest things we tell parents is to keep your child in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible,” said Carrisa Johns, occupant protection specialist at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, who works with SAFE Kids Orange County. “The more we educate the public about the importance of secure child-safety-seat installation, the more lives we will save.”

Some important guidelines to follow and tips to remember:

• Always refer to the child-safety-seat instructions and vehicle manufacturer should have material regarding proper use and installation.

• The harness chest clip for little ones should be at the middle of the chest, level with the armpits. A common mistake many parents make is putting it lower toward the abdomen.

• Always keep harness straps snug, straight and flat. The straps should be positioned at or below the shoulders when rear-facing, and at or above when forward-facing.

• Children should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer (usually 35 to 40 pounds). It’s important to keep children in rear-facing positions because a baby’s head composes 24 percent of its body weight – as opposed to an adult body weight of 6 percent.  Keeping children in the rear-facing position protects their head.

• Replace any child safety seat over six years old (unless otherwise noted by seat manufacturer).

• Register your child’s safety seat with the manufacturer so you can be notified of any recall.

“Universal Technical Institute is proud to support National Child Passenger Safety Month and especially help highlight the great work of SAFE Kids Orange County Coalition,” said Steve McElfresh, Orlando campus president at Universal Technical Institute. “By partnering with local safety organizations, we’re able to expand that commitment and encourage the community to take an extra step in their child’s well-being through these car seat inspections.”

If you are interested in information regarding child seat safety inspections or installations, contact Carrisa Johns at (407) 521-4673, email [email protected] or visit www.childrenssafetyvillagefl.org.