Car Seat Safety Checkup

Pender Community Hospital and Janke Auto Company are sponsoring a Car Seat Checkup Event on Wednesday, August 20, 2003. This event is also sponsored by the Nebraska Safe Kids Buckle Up program. This Checkup event is open to the public and will provide families with free hands on instruction on how to use car seats and safety belts correctly. The checkup event will be held at Janke Auto Car lot, First and McCabe Street, Pender, Nebraska from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. There will be refreshments and activities available for the youngsters while the car seats are checked.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional related deaths for children age 14 and under. In Nebraska, motor vehicle crashes claimed 8 lives and 2,410 children were injured in 2001 according to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety. In 2002, 8,500 child safety seats were checked and 92% were being used incorrectly including children after age 5 just using a seat belt.

All states have some form of child restraint law. Nebraska requires that all children up to age six to be restrained in a child safety seat or booster. But parents and caregivers must go beyond age six. Typically, children up to about age eight and eighty pounds need a booster seat to fit properly in a lap and shoulder belt.

Parents, grandparents and caregivers will have the opportunity to make sure they are transporting children in their vehicle correctly. All children up to age 10 should attend this event with their parents and the car seat or safety seat being used in the car at the present time. Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be available to answer questions and educate about correct installation.

The Nebraska SAFE KIDS Coalition recommends the following tips for riding safely in the car:
  • Restrain all children in their appropriate car seat, booster seat or seat belt on every trip and all adults buckle up as well.
  • Place kids between approximately 40 and 80 pounds in a booster seat
  • Never put shoulder belts under kid's arms or behind their backs. This could result in serious injuries in the event of a crash.
  • Never boost kids with pillows, books or towels. These won't keep kids safe in a crash.
  • If your car's seat is lower than the child's ears, use a high-back booster seat. If your car's seat is higher than the child's ears, use a no back booster.
  • Put kids in the back seat. Children are 36 percent less likely to die in a crash when restrained in the back.
For more information about the Car Seat Checkup Event on Wednesday, August 20, call the Pender Community Hospital at 402-385-383.