Memorial Child Passenger Program Takes to the Road with Help from National Grant
Different Types of Child Restraining Seats
When choosing a car safety seat for your child, keep in mind that you will need a different type of seat for each growth stage until he or she is ready to be strapped in a car seat belt alone. These include:
- Rear-Facing Infant-Only Seats: Small and portable, these seats sometimes come as part of a stroller system. Many feature a detachable base which can remain strapped into the car. Most have carrying handles.
- Convertible Seats: Larger than infant-only seats, these seats can start out in a rear-facing position for infants and later be used as a forward-facing seat for older babies. (The current standard for the forward-facing position is one-year of age.)
- Forward-Facing Seats: These seats are designed for babies and toddlers who meet certain height and weight guidelines. Built-in seats are available in some cars and vans.
- Booster Seats: Offered in high-backed and backless models, these seats raise the child sp that the car’s lap and shoulder belts fit properly. When the child outgrows these seats, he or she is often ready for a car seat belt alone.
For specific guidelines, check with the seat’s manufacturer or a Memorial Child Passenger Safety Technician.
February 2006 — According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 96 percent of parents believe their children are properly buckled into their car safety seats and booster seats. Yet, the American Automobile Association finds that 96 percent of child-restraining devices in Florida are misused or improperly installed, putting young passengers at risk for serious injury.
Facts like these are what prompted Memorial Healthcare System to establish the Memorial Child Passenger Program, which educates parents about proper safety seat usage through hands-on demonstrations and inspections of installed safety seats. Since the program’s implementation in 2000, Memorial’s NHTSA-trained and certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians have inspected and installed safety seats in hundreds of vehicles at community health fairs and other events — at no charge to parents. In addition, free seat inspections are offered monthly at Memorial Hospital West, the leader in births and pediatric emergency visits in Broward County.
Now the Memorial Child Passenger Program will be able to reach out to even more parents, thanks to a grant from the NHTSA. The grant has funded the purchase of a trailer to make it easier to transport car seats, demonstration equipment and other educational materials to community events and health fairs. This means that more families will have access to lifesaving seat inspections.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Memorial’s Child Passenger Safety Technicians are registered nurses, Emergency Room professionals and other Memorial employees who volunteer to participate in the program. Each must undergo a comprehensive, 32-hour training course that covers such topics as airbags, vehicle rollovers, insurance matters — and the safest place to sit in an automobile. In addition, all staff members of Memorial Hospital West’s Family Birthplace maternity department must take a two-hour course in car seat safety and update their knowledge annually.
“A thorough understanding about every aspect of car seat safety is essential,” says Kerry Foligno, RN, Project Director of the Memorial Child Passenger Program. “Not every car seat fits every child or every car. It depends on the age, height and weight of the child, as well as the model and type of vehicle and the location of the car seat.”
Memorial’s technicians are trained to recognize which seat will accommodate each child and vehicle. At a scheduled car seat inspection, if they find that a seat is improperly installed, they will show the parents how to make the necessary adjustments. Should the seat be the wrong size or type for the child or vehicle, the technicians will give the parents a replacement car seat on the spot. Parents who receive the new seats may make a donation to the program.
“We want to be sure that every parent who comes to us drives away with a safely installed car seat. Their children’s lives are riding on it,” Foligno adds.
To make an appointment for a car seat inspection at Memorial Hospital West or to learn which community event the Child Passenger Program trailer will visit next, please call (954) 844-7100.