Safe Kids Lee/Collier Counties led by The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida Kohl’s Center for Safety will celebrate Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 19-25) by conducting car seat checkup events for families and their children by providing hands-on education to parents and caregivers throughout the week.
“Research shows that as children age, they are less likely to be in the appropriate child safety seat for their age and weight. It’s the responsibility of every single parent and caregiver out there to make sure their children are safely restrained every trip, every time,” said Liz Moreno, Safe Kids Coordinator. “We are urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes.”
Safe Kids Lee/ Collier led by The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida Kohl’s Center for Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Florida Highway Patrol have partnered together and will support Seat Check Saturday on Sept. 25, with a car seat safety inspection at the Kohl’s Department Store located at 9357 Ben C Pratt/Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Fort Myers from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. A limited amount of booster seats will be available free of charge to those who fall under the following guidelines:
KIDS NEED BOOSTERS UNTIL THEY CAN DO THE FOLLOWING THINGS;
- They should be tall enough so that the seat belts rest against a hard, bony surface like the hips and collarbone (not the stomach).
- Kids should be able to bend their knees at the edge of the seat, while sitting up straight.
- And they should be able to maintain that position without slouching or lying down for the entire trip.
A 2008 report from NHTSA shows that children from birth to age 1 were in a car seat 99 percent of the time. Children from ages 1-3 were in car seats 92 percent of the time and kids 4-7 were in seats 89 percent of the time. Sadly, as kids get to be between 8-12 they ride in a restraint only 85 percent of the time. Also according to NHTSA, child safety seats reduce the risk of death for infants (under 1 year old) in a vehicle crash by 71 percent, and reduce the likelihood to toddlers (1 to 4 years old) by 54 percent.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia require booster seats, which protect kids after they outgrow their car seats but are still too small to be protected by a seat belt. Arizona, Florida and South Dakota do not have such laws, said Liz Moreno, Safe Kids Coordinator. Regardless of laws, parents should buckle kids into booster seats.
Remember: All children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.
For more information on Child Passenger Safety and to make an appointment for Saturday’s Safety Seat Inspection at Kohl’s Department Store please call 239-432-4491 or 239-432-3803
