LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va –
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child safety seats can reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for children ages 1 to 4.
In support of National Child Passenger Safety Week, Joint Base Langley-Eustis fire departments hosted child car seat checks on Sept. 14 and 21.
"We use this opportunity to provide the public with information on child seat installation," said Douglas Faber, 733rd Civil Engineer Division assistant chief of fire prevention. "The biggest issues the car seat installers see are misuse and improper installation."
The installers were members of the JBLE fire departments who have been certified by the Virginia Department of Health, and are able to install and inform on more than 40 different types of car seats.
Dexter Craig, 733rd CED firefighter and paramedic, became a car seat technician because he was motivated by those around him to take his safety training to a new level.
"As a first-aid and CPR-certified instructor, I felt it was a good choice to learn this aspect of safety," said Craig.
Staff Sgt. Patrick Wentz, 1st Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment craftsman, said he attended the Langley "National Seat Check Saturday" to help give him peace of mind.
"I wanted to be able to take my first child home safely," said Wentz. "I will come in every time I need a new car seat installed."
The CDC and Virginia Highway Safety Office offer the following statistics and tips for car seat safety:
· In the United States during 2010, more than 1,200 children ages 14 and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 171,000 were injured in the U.S.
· Booster seats reduce the risk for serious injury by 45 percent for children ages 4 to 8.
· Child passengers should never be seated in front of an airbag. Airbags can injure or kill children in a crash that might otherwise have been survivable.
· The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now recommend that all children should ride rear facing until two years of age or as long as the safety seat manufacturer allows.
· Every passenger needs to be properly restrained in a child safety seat, booster seat or seat belt. This means one seat belt for each safety seat or person. Do not share seat belts.
· Never hold a child on your lap or allow anyone to ride in the cargo area of a station wagon, van or pickup.
· Check safety seat labels for weight and height limitations. This will assist in picking the safety seat that is right for the child.
· Each child safety seat needs to be tightly installed with either a safety belt or LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) to hold it in place.
· Check the safety seat instructions and the vehicle owner's manual for basic instructions.
The CDC suggests there is strong evidence that safety seat distribution, education programs, child safety seat laws and community-wide education campaigns are effective in increasing child safety seat use reducing the numbers of child passenger death due to improperly installed car seats.
For more information or to get your car seat installed or checked, call the Langley Fire Department at 764-4091 or the Fort Eustis Fire Department at 878-4281.