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Safer Child Thoughts on Car Safety SeatsGo to Safer Child Car Seat Information and FAQs Note: All of the "Thoughts on..." pages represent Safer Child opinion and/or advocacy efforts. Remember: we aren't psychologists, psychiatrists or social workers. Our thoughts come from experience, observation, feedback and research. If you aren't interested in our opinion or advocacy efforts (and we aren't offended if you aren't), you can still obtain the information you're looking for from the other pages. If you would like to comment on anything we've said, please do so. We'd love to hear from you and learn from you, and we thank you for visiting our site. This article, and all other articles posted on our Web site, are protected by copyright and may not be reprinted or distributed without express permission from Safer Child, Inc.
Car safety seats are critical to a child's safety, but it's incredibly difficult to figure out what to buy, how to install it and how to use it. That's why Safer Child is waging an ongoing campaign to do these things: Encourage chain stores to post car safety seat recommendations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the National SAFE KIDS Campaign in their stores - right next to the car seat displays. In the fall of 2000, we sent letters to local and corporate K-Mart, Target, Wal-Mart, Shopko, Fred Meyer, Toys R Us and Sears - asking them to post this information. Wal-Mart called back to say the chain is working with Proctor & Gamble and The American Academy of Pediatrics to place brochures in their stores on child health and safety (including car-seat information), as part of their Babies First campaign. K-Mart wrote saying that the brochures didn't work for them, but they're looking at posting static car-seat information. Target and Shopko have agreed to incorporate our suggestions in their 2001 plans. The infants buyer from Shopko added that Shopko plans to also include child safety tips in their sales flyers (we think that's an excellent idea). The local managers of Sears and Fred Meyer are working to incorporate our suggestions on car seats and car seat clinics, and we're hoping this eventually becomes a national effort from Sears and a regional effort from Fred Meyer. We appreciate the enthusiastic response we're getting from all of these stores, and we're still working with them. We'll keep you posted. Encourage chain stores to host car seat clinics run by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, local hospitals, police or fire departments - and to post the dates and times of the clinics in a prominent position next to car seat displays. Again, most of the stores have been enthusiastic. Several of them already do host occasional clinics, so for them, it's more a matter of advertising the clinics more prominently. Encourage car seat manufacturers to make changes to their seats that would facilitate proper installation and usage - such as: scaling back production of seats without a 5-point harness; making the straps on all seats adjustable in the front; raising the shoulder strap holes for high-backed booster seats; producing seats that are easier and simpler to install; and including information from NHTSA or SAFE KIDS in the car seat packaging. Stop parents or caregivers whenever we see a child riding unsafely (sometimes completely unbuckled!) and suggest a more appropriate method. We do get negative responses sometimes, but the caregiver usually does make a change - at least for that trip.
New laws have been passed, and, as of Sept. 1, 2002, there is one standard installation procedure (LATCH) for all vehicles and all car seats. But this procedure is available on new vehicles. For most of us using a used vehicle, we'll still be struggling with a myriad of seats, regulations, straps and buckles. Don't forget to go to your local hospitals, police or fire departments for a car safety seat checkup, even if you think your seat is installed properly. They'll probably be able to install the seat more securely - FREE - and they'll also give you suggestions for safer riding! And if you can't afford a proper car seat on your own, they might be able to help you. Do you have other suggestions? Please tell us, and we'll try to help! END
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