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The Importance of Properly Installed Child Car Seats

Child safety seats have multiple straps and buckles for a reason. Proper installation can mean the difference between life and death. According to the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, the majority of parents use car safety seats; however, they are often not installed correctly. This is a real concern when looking at the data which shows car accidents as the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 2 years and 14 years of age.

Children not buckled in a safety seat (car seat) or those who are improperly buckled are three times more likely to be injured in an auto accident. The most disturbing images are those of parents allowing their young children to stand on the seat and parents holding their children while driving or riding in their parents laps.

Andrew Turnage, the public information coordinator for Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute (GTIPI), explains that holding a child weighing twenty pounds and traveling at 50 miles an hour upon impact is the equivalent to catching a one-hundred-pound weight being thrust at you. The force is almost impossible to withstand, let alone grab a hold of and control. Yet parents and grandparents alike still drive with unrestrained or improperly restrained children. The GTIPI and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety are taking measures to increase awareness and to educate parents and grandparents alike on the safety measures and precautions to be taken into consideration when installing a child safety seat (commonly referred to as a car seat).

Most law enforcement agencies such as the Georgia State Patrol, sheriff’s office, police departments and even health departments and hospitals have someone who can evaluate your child safety seat to ensure it is properly installed. You may also visit www.gahighwaysafety.org for more infomation.