child passenger safety

I don't typically pass around web sites that I think people should go visit although I have done so lately. I hope that when people see that I am referring a web site that it is not the equivalence of junk mail or spam. I would only send you somewhere that I really think you need to visit.

I got involved in child passenger safety sometime in the late 90s. I was forced there out of necessity and parent demand - a parent whose child had a spica cast chastised the hospital I was working in because there was no appropriate restraint to send her child home in. I am thankful to that parent to this day; I am not sure if she is aware of the changes that were made because of her concerns.

I educated myself on the issue and learned that a nationwide education campaign resulted in increased use of child restraint devices in automobiles but many children are still restrained improperly (Glassbrenner, 2003). National studies demonstrate that the misuse rate of child restraint devices in automobiles is as high as 80% (NHTSA, 1996). Proper installation and use of car seats is extremely effective in saving children's lives and reducing the risk of injury. Specifically, child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by about 70% for infants and 55% for toddlers ages one to four (NHTSA, 2001).

Even with education and even with good intents and even when procedures are followed there is still no such thing as a guarantee. Click here to watch the a video tribute to Kyle David Miller; his parents uploaded this video to YouTube and you all really need to see it.


References:

Glassbrenner, D. (2003, February). The use of child restraints in 2002. Retrieved September 3, 2003, from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/ChildRestraints
/ChildRestraints.html

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Observed patterns of misuse of child safety seats. Traffic Tech, Sept. 1996. Washington (DC): NHTSA; 1996.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Traffic Safety Facts 2000: Occupant protection. Washington: NHTSA; 2001. Available from: URL: www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2000/2000occfacts.pdf.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ&NR

Comments

Ruzanna said…
My baby is 4 months old, and during these months I’ve read almost everything concerning babies trying to do all the best for my kid. Here I’m sharing an information about car safety seats, which worried me a lot.
9:09 PM
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