It's official, this June I will turn my carseat obsession into something more useful, I will take the course to become a certified child passenger safety technician. I have registered for the 4 day course, which includes class discussions and hands-on activities installing different kids of seats in different cars.
Car accidents are the number one killer of kids age 1-14. Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71% for infants, and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years. Unfortunately, they can be difficult to install correctly, and they are often not used correctly. In fact, one study found that 72% of nearly 3,500 observed child restraint systems were misused in a way that could be expected to increase a child’s risk of injury during a crash (NHTSA 2006c). I am really excited to get involved with SafeKids and help make a difference for kids.
Once I have my certification I will be happy to check anyones seat for them. In the meantime, if you aren't 100% comfortable with your seat installation, please go to a carseat check. You can find one near you by going to Seatcheck.org or the National CPS Certification site. For more information about seats and installation, you can check out Car-Safety.org. More information why rearfacing is safest and extended rear-facing can be found here and here.
2 comments:
I am SOOOO GLAD you are doing this! You are absolutely the most knowledgeable person I know with car seats. I only wish you could get paid for this...can you? I have zero confidence in my ability to do this and rely completely upon Jon or my mom. Maybe I'll have you teach me a thing or two.
Good luck! It's a great fit for you. I'm so nervous about moving Buby's car seat that Tom is the only one who has ever done it. Installed or uninstalled or moved to the Jeep on weekends. Someone needs to teach me before I get into a bind.
Post a Comment