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Editorial: The road to child safety
CHP offers help for parents
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More from OpinionIt's impossible to predict when a car accident will occur, but it is possible to protect children in the event it does.
Figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show more than 80 percent of child-safety seats are improperly installed. Unfortunately, this can make the seat ineffective in an accident, resulting in unnecessary death or injury to a child.
That's why it's so vital that parents make absolutely sure their children are properly restrained and that child-safety seats are correctly placed and installed in a vehicle.
To help parents make sure these seats are not being misused, California Highway Patrol officers will be offering tips and assistance with securing car seats today, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Babies R Us at 2340 N. Rose Ave., Oxnard.
Can't make it? The CHP offers a free inspection program at its Ventura office. Anyone can make an appointment by calling 477-4133. Callers are asked to leave a name and phone number, and an officer will return the call to schedule an appointment.
Additionally, most local police and fire agencies have officers and firefighters to assist parents with the inspection and installation of child-safety seats. Just check with the law-enforcement folks in your community to see if they have such a program.
Many parents fail to realize how important it is that a car seat fits a child and that it is compatible with their vehicle. A properly fitted and installed car seat can reduce injuries to children by as much as 70 percent.
With so much at stake, it's best to err on the side of caution, not only in the selection and installation, but also in knowing car-seat laws. In California, children are required to ride in federally approved baby or booster car seats until they are at least 6 years old or weigh at least 60 pounds.
All good parents want to keep their children safe while on the road. Yes, accidents will happen, but with their precious cargo securely and correctly buckled in, a tragedy can be averted.
Posted by Cat on March 22, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Another thing to remember is some great advice I got from a child-safety seat expert is....when you're driving around with an empty booster seat in your car, buckle it in. Otherwise, that huge piece of plastic will go flying around your car in the event of an accident. Grat advice that I had never heard. Now everytime by 7 year old's booster seat is empty, and I'm driving, I buckle it in.
Posted by JusAnAmerican on March 22, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The quest for "child safety" has turned California into a nanny state where the government interferes with every conceivable activity.
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