Published: March 01, 2007 05:31 pm         

Give your child the gift of safety this Valentine’s Day

This Valentine's Day show your child how much you really care for them by making sure they are in proper restraint devices every time they are in a vehicle. February 11-17 is National Child Passenger Safety Week. The purpose of this week is to bring attention to the importance of safely transporting children.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during 2004 children ages 0-14 years who were killed in motor vehicle accidents, half were unrestrained. In addition, the NHTSA reports most of these injuries could have been prevented by placing children in age- and size-appropriate restraint systems.

When buying a child safety seat there is more to it than going to the store and picking one out. Parents must consider the child's weight, height and age. The NHTSA lists four different types of child safety seating for children different ages and sizes.

• Step 1: Keep babies in the back seat for the best possible protection in a rear-facing child safety seat as long as possible until they reach the height or weight limit of the seat.

• Step 2: When the child outgrows his rear-facing seat, then he can ride in a forward facing seat, still in the backseat until he reaches the particular seat limit.

• Step 3: Children should ride in booster seats in the back seat after they outgrow their forward facing seats until the vehicle safety belt fits properly.

• Step 4: When a child out grows the booster seat he can now use the adult safety belt in the backseat. The proper fit of safety belts is when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest. This usually is when the child is 8-years-old or when he is 4 feet 9 inches tall. In Oklahoma, children are required to ride in a booster seat up to age 6.

The proper use of a child safety seat is not as easy as it sounds. Parents and caregivers who are interested in the safe use of child seats are encouraged to make an appointment with a fitting station.

You can find information about fitting stations at http://www.seatcheck.org .

For more information about children and safety, please contact the Grady County OSU Cooperative Extension Service at 224-2216. We are located at 828 West Choctaw in Chickasha.