(BLOOMINGTON) – The temperatures are falling, and coats are starting to enter into your child’s wardrobe. But remember: Coats can impede car seats from working as they should.
“This time of year, we like to remind parents and guardians to remove coats and thick sweaters from children before they’re placed in their car seats,” said Jennifer Hacker, Child Passenger Safety Technician. “Instead, lay the jacket over the car seat straps after your child is secured in the car seat.”
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, bulky clothing (including winter coats and snowsuits) creates a gap in between the child and the car seat harness. In the event of a car accident, the fluffy padding of the coat immediately flattens out from the force, creating extra space between the child and the harness. The child can actually slip through the straps and be thrown from the car seat in this instance.
Other issues also factor into how safe a child is when they are in a vehicle. Call 812-333-2304 to sign up for a free Riley Physicians safety check to make sure your child is as safe as possible when traveling.
Car seat safety checks are free, can help protect children and are easy to schedule:
- Call 812-333-2304
- Sign up for an available time that fits your schedule
Bring the following to your appointment in order to make sure the team has everything they need to properly install your car seat:
- Car seat and vehicle instruction manuals
- The car seat
- The vehicle
- The child (preferred, but not necessary)
Due to COVID-19, the team is taking extra precautions including requiring parents/guardians/participants wear face masks and encouraging social distancing.
Riley Physicians offers free safety checks at 5081 N. Old State Road 37 in Bloomington throughout the year in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).
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.
