Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Wednesday, July 18, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - In 2014, Safe Kids Worldwide surveyed 1,000 parents of kids ages 4 to 10 and found that seven out of 10 parents do not know how tall a child should be to ride in the car without a car seat.
Many are allowing their children to use a seat belt alone before they are big enough. Car seats reduce the risk of serious injury by 45 percent compared to seat belts alone. Riley Physicians, in partnership with the NHTSA and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI), is offering free car seat safety checks to help the public learn to better protect children while they're in vehicles.
Car seat safety checks can help protect children and are easy to schedule. Interested adults are two steps away from their car seat safety check: Call (812)333 -2304 and sign up for an available time that fits your schedule.
"These safety checks are free to new parents, expecting parents, caregivers, grandparents, babysitters, and more," says Jennifer Hacker, Child Passenger Safety Technician. "Even experienced parents can benefit from a refresher course. These checks are open to anyone who may need to transport a child."
People interested in the safety checks will need to bring four things with them to the appointment:
This gives the instructor important information on some major variables that affect the safety of the child while they're in the vehicle. The safety restraint options are rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, booster seat and seat belt. As children graduate to different steps, they lose valuable protection. So it's important to not move children to another option until they meet the recommended height and weight requirements.
All children less than 8 years of age are required by Indiana's child passenger safety law to be properly restrained in a federally approved child restraint system. Children should be in the back seat until at least the age of 12. An authorized child seat inspection station can provide free inspections, valuable information and resources to help keep your child safe.
For more information on Indiana's child passenger seat law, please visit: http://www.in.gov/cji/2383.htm. For a complete list of child seat inspection stations by county offered throughout the state, visit: http://www.childseat.in.gov. To learn more about IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians, please visit: iuhealth.org/southern-indiana-physicians.
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