Free car seat inspections offered Sept. 12
Washington state law requires that children be in a car seat of some kind until 8 years old, unless they are 4-feet-9-inches tall. The law also requires that children under 13 remain in the back seat of the vehicle. Safe Kids Skagit County will conduct a free car seat inspection from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sat., Sept. 12, at Wholesale Sports, 2000 S. Burlington Blvd., in Burlington.
The checkup is part of the third annual Safe Kids National Seat Check, and is sponsored locally by Blade Chevrolet.
Safe Kids Skagit County urges parents and caregivers to make sure their children's safety seats are properly installed and used in their vehicles.
"It's the responsibility of every parent and caregiver to make sure their children are safely restrained - every trip, every time and at every age," said Joni McSpadden, who leads Safe Kids Skagit County's child passenger safety team.
Washington state law requires that children be in a car seat of some kind until 8-years-old, unless they are 4-feet 9-inches tall. The law also requires that children under 13 remain in the back seat of the vehicle, and that parents and caregivers follow all car seat manufacturer instructions.
Parents and caregivers should follow a few basic guidelines for determining which restraint system is best suited to protect their children in a vehicle.
For the best possible protection, keep infants in a back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible—up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. Never turn a child forward-facing before age 1 and at least 20 pounds, although keeping kids rearfacing until age 2 is safer and preferred if the seat allows.
When children outgrow their rear-facing seats, they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in a back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular harnessed seat.
Many newer seats exceed the old 40-pound weight limit.
Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats, they should ride on booster seats, in a back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly.
Seat belts fit properly when the child can pass the Safety Belt Fit Test: the lap belt lays across the upper thighs, the shoulder belt rests on the shoulder or collar bone and the knees bend naturally at the seat's edge (usually when the child is between 8- and 12-yearsold, approximately 4-feet 9-inches tall and 80 to 100 pounds).
After children fully outgrow their booster seats, they should use the adult seat belts in a back seat. The lap belt should lie across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits rests on the shoulder or collarbone.
Safe Kids coalitions around the country are joining in National Seat Check Saturday activities to kick off Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 12-18. Safe Kids Buckle Up, the child passenger safety program of Safe Kids USA in partnership with General Motors, holds child safety seat checkups and other vehicle safety events throughout the year. Nationwide, the Safe Kids Buckle Up program has reached more than 20 million people and has inspected more than 1.1 million car seats.
Parents and caregivers can have their child's car seat checked locally by appointment at Skagit County EMS Commission, 2911 E. College Way, Suite C, in Mount Vernon, and at Mount Vernon Fire Department, at 1901 N. Laventure Road. Call 428-3236, and 336-6277, respectively, for information.
Safe Kids Skagit County works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability for children ages 1 to 14. Safe Kids Skagit County is a local coalition of Safe Kids Worldwide, and is led by Skagit County Medic One,
Member organizations include area fire departments, hospitals, businesses and individuals in healthcare-related fields. Information about Safe Kids can be found at www. skagitems.com/safekids.
Source: Skagit County Safe Kids Coalition
