How to Use a Car Seat Properly

How to use a car seat properly? Male Speaker: Children can be either seriously injured or even killed, if they are up there strained in a car seat. Female Speaker: California Highway Patrol Officer, Scott Riley, agree to give Saber Hacer the same kind of child safety seat installation demonstration, he gives to parents. Scott Riley: Prior to installing your child seat in your vehicle, you first need to determine what type of a attractor system do you have. A few ways to do that is by looking at the owner's manual. Sometimes on the vehicle seat belt themselves, they have a stitched portion and it says, "in case you are using a child seat, this is what you need to do." So what we are going to do is we are going to go ahead and take the belt and get it ready to be inserted through the belt path. The belt path we are going to using is located right back here. For one it's forward facing, it's going to go right through and all the way across the back. As we continue to take the belt and put it all the across through the belt path, we are going to bring it to the other side, and go ahead and click it into the buckle. Once we have that taken care of, we need to switch the seat belt attractor into its all time walking mode. To do that, when I go ahead and get your body weight in the seat itself, and try to take out as much of the children's seat as possible. Then you use your right hand, since we are sitting along the left side of the vehicle, and grab where the top of the belt is, and we want to fully extend the belt which is in the switchable system. I have already pulled it all the way out. Now I am going to feed it back in, you can hear the quirky noise. You want to take as much of the slack out of the belt as possible. After that's taken care of, you want to go ahead and grab where the belt path is, which is right through here, a firm grip on both sides. You shouldn't have more than an inch of movement from left to right or front to back. There is also the tether up on the vehicle here, you open up the top, go and give yourself some slack for the tether, go and attach it, pull it tight. All the tether provide extra support for the top part of the car seat. An infant between age of 1 year and less than 20 pounds is required to be rear facing. Once the child is 1 year and 20 pounds, the child can then be forward facing in a car seat. Female Speaker: For children weighing between 20 and 60 pounds, State laws vary, but they typically require toddlers weighing this amount to be seated in a booster seat to alleviate them, so the seat belt fits right around their neck. Kids over 60 pounds but under 12 years of age need to sit in the back seat because the airbags in the front seat are designed for adults. If they open in a crash, they can injure and even kill a child. So why is it important to install your child's safety seat properly. Marisela De La Torre: The CDC, the Center for Disease Control, has recently put a report that states that more vehicle accidents continue to be the leading cause of deaths in children and nearly half of those deaths could have been prevented, if the car seat would have been used. Number 1, just use and then also if they would have been used correctly. Female Speaker: If that's not reason enough, consider the cost of getting caught not using a properly installed child safety seat. Scott Riley: Liabilities can range from a heavy stiff penalty which in California right now, the fine is approximately $360. Along with that, you receive a moving violation at a point on your record which can increase your insurance. Female Speaker: If you can't figure out what safety seat to buy or how to install it, many police agencies and even hospitals are happy to help out. Marisela De La Torre: We do two things. One is where we have educational programs, where we have parents come in, either a 4 hour class or to an 8 hour class, where we not only give them the knowledge on how to install the car seats but also on how themselves they can be better drivers, how they can set an example for their children and for the community. Then we also have the checkup events where we have people in the community come by in their cars with their children and the car seats, and we educate them hands-on on how to install the car seat, so that they even themselves can then do it, if they ever need to change the car seat out of that car or they just need to do it again for themselves. Female Speaker: To find similar help near you, including assistance in Spanish, click on the Resources section at SaberHacer.com. You will also find links to information that will help you find organizations or agencies that offer free child safety seats for low income families. Information regarding child safety seats that are subject to re-cost by the manufacturer. Tips on buying the correct car safety seat for your child and your vehicle, and details about your safe child safety seat laws.