Police Giving Free Car Seat Inspections

By KIMBERLY SANCHEZ

Feb. 11, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Stephanie Sablan did all the right reading before she gave birth to her baby girl: how to feed her, how to lay her down to sleep, even how to safely secure her in a car seat.

But six months after Lauren’s birth, Sablan is still full of questions when it comes to her child’s safety during travel.

“She sits upright, and her head falls forward,” Sablan explained Monday while shopping for car seat accessories at Buena Park Mall. “When the seat reclines, it rocks forward. How do you correct that?”

This is National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week, and law enforcement agencies want parents to know about safety issues because accidents are the leading killers of children up through age 4 nationwide. In Orange County, six children 4 or younger died last year in crashes.

To help educate parents on car seat safety and installation, the California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies are offering free car seat inspections beginning today. “Parents aren’t aware that there’s more to it than strapping the seat in,” CHP spokeswoman Denise Medina said. “Unless you’re using it properly, it’s not going to do you any good.”

During a yearlong Orange County study, nearly half of the 1,135 children observed were found buckled up incorrectly or not at all, said Sheryll Bolton, a child passenger safety specialist for the Orange County Health Care Agency.

“People don’t understand the seriousness of the problem,” Bolton said. “They make the assumption, ‘I’m a good parent and I know what I’m doing.’ They don’t know.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates 80% of child safety seats are misused, and 500 lives per year could be saved if children were properly restrained.

“It’s horrifying. It’s like saying we have a vaccine and we’re not using it,” said Stephanie Tombrello, director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.

Children younger than 4 and less than 40 pounds should be secured in car seats, Tombrello said. The backseat is the safest place for children, especially if a car has a passenger-side air bag. Infants less than 20 pounds should be facing rearward in the backseat.

Every car seat does not fit every car. Cars with bucket seats can present a problem and cause wobbling. Before buying a car seat, Medina suggests testing it in the car. If a store will not permit this, shoppers should take the measurements of the backseat with them.

Parents should read the manual carefully, Bolton explained. Then, test the seat’s security by sliding it back and forth and side to side.

“A car seat should not be able to be moved by our hands,” she said. “If your hands can move it, imagine what 3,000 pounds of force can do.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Safety Seat Tips

* Read and follow car and safety seat manuals.

* If you use a car seat made only for infants, always place it in the back seat facing to the rear. A child older than 1 and more than 20 pounds faces forward.

* If you have a passenger-side air bag, always put children in the back seat.

* Make sure the safety belt follows the marked path to hold the seat in place and is pulled tightly.

* To check for a tight fit, pull child’s seat forward and push it from side to side. If belt loosens or base of seat slides, child may not be well protected.

* Keep harness straps over child’s shoulders.

* To fill empty spaces and give support, roll up a couple of small blankets and tuck them in on each side of baby’s shoulders and head.

* Try the seat in your vehicle before purchasing it. Some safety seats fit better into some vehicles than others. Cars with bucket seats or small rear seats may present problems.

* Never hold a child in your lap.

* Keep a child in a safety seat until it weighs at least 40 pounds.

* Call the manufacturer or the Auto Safety Hotline for recall information, (800) 424-9393

SEAT INSPECTIONS THIS WEEK

Parents can have their child safety seats inspected for proper installation at these locations:

Today

* California Highway Patrol

8 a.m.-5 p.m.

2031 Santa Clara Ave., Santa Ana

32951 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano

13200 Golden West St., Westminster

Wednesday