COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – It’s hot outside and getting your children all buckled up can be a hassle in this heat. But, you can make a life saving decision when your loved one is in a car seat correctly and buckled in.
The CDC says of all the children killed in car crashes in 2020, 38 percent were not wearing a seatbelt.
A car seat that is in a car the right way and fits properly can reduce the risk of death of a child by 71 to 82 percent. From a rear facing car seat, a forward facing car seat, to a booster seat like this one, make sure to keep children 12 and younger buckled up. One Columbus mother News Leader 9 met today is grateful to be more knowledgeable about safe passengers.
“As long as I’ve been using car seats, I’ve never did any of this stuff, what she taught me today,” says Columbus mother of 3 Athoneria Taylor.
Athoneria Taylor is leaving a car seat installation demonstration with a new, properly fitted seat for her daughter Audrianna.
“I am well informed and educated on the different techniques on how to fasten down my loved one,” says Taylor.
After a lesson from certified child passenger safety technicians, Taylor can drive Audrianna and her siblings more confidently.
“I don’t have to drive and constantly look behind me and make sure the seat is not moving, so I am so appreciative of the car seat,” says Taylor.
“I learned how to fasten it down by taking the seatbelt, going through the back, because normally I just use to put my child in and fasten the seatbelt going across. Today was an eye opener,” says Taylor.
The Georgia law requires for kids 8 and under or a child 4′9″ must be in an approved car or booster seat.
3 in 4 car seats are misused. The best car seat is the one that fits your child, fits your vehicle, and one that you can use correctly each and every time.
Experts recommend to always read instructions for proper use.
Never place a rear facing seat in front of an air bag. And when it comes to a seat being secure..
“It shouldn’t move more than an inch when it comes to the belt path. the belt path is here or for forward facing it’s going to be here,” says Taylor.
The car safety installation demonstration was also a training for law enforcement and health care workers in the area. There are 8 newly certified child passenger safety technicians from Muscogee, Sumter, and Coweta County Sheriff Offices.
Your child should not be in a booster seat like this one until they are between the ages of 7 or 8 or once they outgrow a forward facing seat.
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