Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death in Canadian children over the age of one. If children are transported in properly installed and correctly used car seats, their risk of dying in a crash is greatly reduced.
From 2009-13, in Saskatchewan, 990 children between the ages of zero to12 were injured and 12 were killed in car crashes. In a recent Saskatchewan study to check the installation of car seats, 81.4 per cent of the seats were found to be improperly installed.
To provide the best protection, it is important that the correct car seat is used for the child’s age, size, and development. The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute provides information, education, and training on the appropriate use of car seats.
Infants must be placed in rear-facing car seats. They should stay in rear-facing seats as long as possible, as this is the safest way they can travel. In a frontal crash, the infant’s neck, head and back will be protected by the support of the back of the car seat. Some rear-facing seats have upper weight limits to 50 lbs.
Once a child is too tall or too heavy for a rear-facing car seat, the child should be moved to a forward-facing seat. Forward-facing seats have an internal harness with an upper weight limit of at least 40 lbs. The weight limit will be higher for many forward-facing seats, many up to 65 lbs. Again, it is important to keep the child in the forward-facing seat until the child’s weight or height exceeds its limits.
A booster seat is the next stage of protection for children. By law, a child must weigh at least 40 lbs. to use a booster seat. The law in Saskatchewan states that children must use a booster until age seven or until they weigh 80 and until they are 4’9” tall. The booster seat raises a child up so the seat belt goes over the stronger, boney parts of the body –hips, chest and collarbone. Many children are taken out of booster seats far too early, putting them at risk of serious injury or death in a collision.
Car seats come with instructions and vehicle manuals include information on the correct installation of car seats in that particular vehicle. Sometimes, people need some help or assurance to make sure the car seat is correctly installed in the vehicle and fitting the child properly. The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute trains technicians across the province who provide education to parents and caregivers on how to use their car seats properly. For more information, contact the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute at 306-651-4300 or visit our website, www.skprevention.ca. To find a technician in your area, go to http://www.sgi.sk.ca/online_services/locators/carseattech/.
