 In the shade of the lower level parking garage at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Benjamin Arias awaits his next customer. Ben is Packard Children’s certified child passenger safety technician, providing free and friendly instruction to about 40 parents and caregivers each week. Since 2004, when the Maggie Adalyn Otto Safely Home Car Seat Fitting Station first opened, Ben has single-handedly adjusted nearly 4500 car seats.With 4 out of 5 car seats used or installed incorrectly, Ben is a true lifesaver. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 3 to 33. Child safety seats, when properly used, have proven to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants less than 1 year old, and by 54 percent for children age 1 to 4. Yet many parents are unaware that they may be using the safety seat incorrectly, thus placing their child at risk. One set of new parents first met Ben less than a year ago when they had their infant car seat fitted before the birth of their daughter. Like many parents, they’ve made a return visit to Ben and the Car Seat Fitting Station because their 7-month-old daughter is ready for a new full-size car seat. The couple also needs to know how to place the car seat in their new car, on the commercial airplane that will take them on vacation, and in the rental van they’ll drive when they get there. The first thing Ben does, as always, is wiggle the car seat to see whether or not it’s snug. This is the single most common error Ben finds among parent-installed car seats. “There should be less than one inch of movement back and forth or side to side,” he explains. “Yours is pretty good,” he tells them. “But I think we can tighten it up a bit.” So that the passengers sitting next to the car seat can also be safely strapped in, Ben also shows them how to adjust the seat belts. He also shows them that their car has a locking mechanism to hold the belt in place after it’s fully extended. But their rental minivan may not, so he shows them how to use the locking clip that came with their car seat. Ben knows the different seat structure and seat belt designs of just about every automobile make and model in which a child could hope to ride. With nearly 40 hours of instruction from the NHTSA and first-hand experience at placing thousands of car seats, Ben is an expert matchmaker, ensuring that the unique design of each car seat functions optimally with the unique design of each car. During each appointment, Ben ensures that the seat brought by the family has not been recalled and is not damaged or defective. He checks to see that the safety seat correctly accommodates the child’s height, weight, age, and developmental ability. And once he instructs and demonstrates how to properly install and use the car seat, he instructs and demonstrates how to properly place the child in the seat. Parents can return to Packard’s Car Seat Fitting Station as many times as they like, because the service is absolutely free. All you need is an appointment. Ben provides each customer with 30-minutes of instruction and installation. Everything is free, including the non-skid pads, emergency information stickers, and cut swim noodles that make ideal bolsters beneath seats. Donations are optional, but are helpful to offset the cost of materials.  “Sometimes,” Ben says, “parents come back to have a new car seat fitted after they’ve been in an accident. I’m always glad to hear that they felt safe because they knew the car seat was installed correctly and knew how to secure their child properly.” Few people know that a car seat must be replaced after an accident because the webbing in the straps expands during impact. One parent came back to the Fitting Station after her car had been totaled in an accident and her child had been examined at Packard Children’s. The child was scared but had no injuries. The mother took the opportunity to thank Ben and had her new car seat fitted that very day. “More and more insurance companies are paying for this replacement,” Ben adds, encouraging his customers inquire about whether or not their insurance plan includes this coverage.Like all the parents who’ve used the Fitting Station, the couple who visited Ben today leave impressed and delighted with the service. “It’s great!” Mom says. “Ben is really thorough.” Since the opening of the Fitting Station in July 2004, there hasn’t been a single negative review of the service. Another parent described it as “one of the best services I encountered during pregnancy.” To make an appointment at the Maggie Adalyn Otto Car Seat Fitting Station, call Benjamin Arias at (650) 736-2981 or e-mail him at barias@lpch.org. If possible, bring your child in his or her car seat, along with the car seat installation instructions and your automobile’s owner’s manual. Expectant parents are encouraged to have their car seat checked at least one month before their baby is born. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is located in Palo Alto, adjacent to Stanford University Hospital, approximately 20 miles north of San Jose, CA and 40 miles south of San Francisco.
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