September 21-27 marks the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Child Passenger Safety Week. The weeklong observance is intended to raise awareness about the importance of properly using child restraint devices in vehicles. The NHTSA cites statistics including this attention-getter: proper use of child seats reduces the likelihood of an infant (less than a year old) being killed in a vehicle crash by 71 percent and toddlers (1-4 years old) by 54 percent.

In conjunction with the theme of child safety, Marshall Medical Center’s Community Health Library will be hosting a Fall Harvest Children’s Health and Safety Extravaganza. The event will take place Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 681 Main Street in Placerville (the Wilkinson-Hupcey Building, still often referred to as Midtown Mall). The event is funded by a First 5 of El Dorado County grant and car seats by Safe Kids, Sacramento.

This interactive event focusing on nutrition, safety and exercise will feature fun and educational activities for children five years and younger and resources and information for parents. Planned activities include a puppet show, face painting, an exercise maze, yummy and nutritious snacks, and a special appearance by Marshall Mouse.

Leading up to the event, several community organizations have been provided with vouchers for free, certified-safe infant car seats, as well as free professional installation in vehicles for those with the vouchers. To learn more about the vouchers or the event, contact Alison Clement at the Marshall Community Health Library at 530-626-2778.

Take a look at the NHTSA statistics and tips below to learn more about how proper use of child safety seats save lives:

- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 7,000 lives have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 20 years.

- Research shows the best protection for children is to have them properly restrained.

- Child seats reduce the likelihood of an infant (under 1 year old) being killed in a vehicle crash by 71 percent and toddlers (1-4 years old) by 54 percent.

- Children ages 4 to 7 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a seat belt, according to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

- While 98 percent of America’s infants and 89 percent of children ages 1 to 3 are now regularly restrained, not enough children ages 4 through 7 are restrained properly for their size and age. Restraint use among 4-7 year olds is 78 percent.

- The National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS) found that only 41 percent of children ages 4 to 8 are riding in booster seats; NHTSA recommends that children who have outgrown their child safety seats should ride in booster seats until they are at least eight years old, unless they are 4’9” tall.

- Child restraints work best if you use them correctly. Failure to read the child safety seat instructions, in addition to vehicle owner manual instructions regarding installation, could result in serious injury or death as a result of a failure of the child safety seat to be securely and/or properly restrained

- All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring children to be restrained in cars. Make sure you know the laws of your state and make it the law of your car.

- For more information about Child Passenger Safety Week and the proper use of booster seats, please visit www.nhtsa.gov

Child Restraint Tips

4 Steps for Kids

1. For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until a minimum of age 1 and at least 20 pounds.

2. When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at a minimum age 1 and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).

3. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall).

4. When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall) they can use the adult seat belt in the back seat, if it fits properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).