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| Kids go “Safely Home” with Top 10 Car Seat Safety Tips |
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| National Child Passenger Safety Week is February 11-17 |
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| For Release: February 9, 2007 |
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PALO ALTO, Calif--
Community outreach liaison and car seat fitting expert Benjamin Arias is pictured at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford shortly after another successful car seat installation.
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How complicated can car seat fitting be? “Well, 90% of all car seats are installed incorrectly,” said Nancy Sanchez, Community Relations Manager at Packard Children’s. “That’s why our Safely Home Car Seat Fitting Station is such a success. Families appreciate being shown how to properly install a car seat and how to safely fasten child restraints.”
The fitting station is so popular that soon Packard Children’s is expected to install its 5000th seat. The Ironman making all this happen is community outreach liaison Benjamin Arias, an expert technician who’s become quite legendary for the rapport he builds with families. “I love the families and I love the kids,” said Arias. “It’s obvious that what we are doing is very important to them.” In honor of National Child Passenger Safety Week (Feb. 11-17), Arias offered the following Top 10 car seat safety tips for parents and their children.
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Always read your child seat instruction manual and vehicle owner’s manual to find the safest location to install the seat.
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Child seats should not be in front of an airbag. Exceptions are vehicles with front-only seating, which requires placing the child seat as far back as possible and turning off the airbag.
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The center rear is the safest position for a child restraint system. If vehicle does not allow safe installation in center rear seat, the passenger side seat is safest.
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Children under the age of 1 and weighing less than 20 pounds must be rear-facing.
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Children under the age of 6 and weighing less than 60 pounds must have an appropriate restraint system. However, it is recommended that children less than 8 years or 4’9” remain in a restraint system.
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A child seat must be installed snugly, and should not move more than 1 inch side-to-side from the belt path.
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Straps should be snug around the shoulder area. When rear-facing, straps should be at or below the shoulder. If forward-facing, straps should be at or above the shoulders.
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Be certain the child seat is leveled correctly and according to the instructional manual.
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Chest clips should be secured at a position that is level with a child’s armpits.
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Never allow a child or child seat to lean on any of the vehicle doors, especially if side airbags or curtain airbags are present.
“One more thing may be overlooked,” said Arias. “Parents should secure all cargo in the trunk, or use a cargo cover or net for open cargo areas.” During a family’s 30-minute appointment at the fitting station, Arias also ensures that the seat brought by the family has not been recalled. “Expectant parents should see us, too,” said Arias, who recommends having a car seat checked at least one month before a baby is born. “It can be a tricky process,” said Arias, who noted that not all car seats are compatible with every vehicle and that written instructions from a manufacturer can be confusing.
“Parents are very grateful for what we do,” said Arias. “Sometimes they’ll come in and say ‘I’ve done everything; there’s nothing more you can show me about the seat.’ After we go through the fitting they’ll say ‘Wow, I guess I really didn’t know it all.’”
The Maggie Adalyn Otto Safely Home Car Seat Fitting Station at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is open Monday through Saturday on the ground level of the hospital parking garage at 725 Welch Rd. in Palo Alto. More information can be found at www.carseatfitting.lpch.org or by calling (650) 736-2981. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site also has information at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
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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.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
725 Welch Road
Palo Alto, California 94304
(650) 497-8000
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