HERSHEY – Chances are, not a single person in central Pennsylvania would ever intentionally put a child at risk. Yet, that’s exactly what happens when young passengers are not restrained properly. With the busy holiday travel season right around the corner, car seats are an important safety device both on the ground and in the air.
At Penn State Hershey Shock Trauma Center, motor vehicle-related trauma is the leading cause of death and injury for all ages. We provide expert care at the region’s only level one trauma center for children and adults, but we are equally committed to preventing injuries.
That’s why Safe Kids Dauphin County, led by Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, are joining with the members of the Pennsylvania State Police, Penn DOT and other community partners to remind families to travel safely during the busy holiday season. A key component is that all families are encouraged to find a location to have your child’s restraint checked by a certified child passenger safety technician. Safe Kids Dauphin County, led by the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital operates three locations in the area where certified car seat technicians are available to make sure that child restraints are used correctly or not on recall. We also encourage parents to buckle up as well.
“Child safety seats and booster seats only work best when they are used correctly,” said Susan Rzucidlo, pediatric trauma program manager and coordinator, Dauphin County Safe Kids. “It is so important for people to get their child’s seats checked. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes.”
Not all car seats can fit on standard airplane seats, which are typically about 16 inches wide, but Safe Kids Dauphin County and the Federal Aviation Administration strongly recommend using a car seat in an aircraft whenever possible. Make sure your child’s car seat is labeled “certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.
You need your child’s car seat to travel to and from the airport anyway. Car rental companies might not have reliable car seats available and checking your child’s seat as baggage could result in damage. Your kids are better off in their own car seats. Children who have outgrown car seats should sit directly on the airplane seat and, like all passengers, keep the lap belt buckled across their thighs or hips. Booster seats are not allowed on airplanes, because they require shoulder belts and airplane seats have only lap belts.
The FAA advises travelers with small children to reserve a pair of seats by a window. Car seats are not allowed in aisle seats or exit rows, where they could block emergency escape routes; they must be installed at a window seat. Parents cannot rely on there being empty seats onboard an aircraft, especially during the busy holiday travel season. Holding a child on an adult’s lap is not the safest option. Whenever possible, buy a child his or her own seat to ensure an approved car seat can be used. Most airlines offer a discount for children under 2.
For maximum child passenger safety, parents and caregivers are encouraged to follow “4 Steps for Kids,” a guideline for determining which restraint system best suited to protect children based on age and size:
For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until a minimum of age 1 and at least 20 pounds.
When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at a minimum age 1 and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).
Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall).
When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 8 or when they are 4 feet, 9 inches tall) they can use the adult seat belt in the back seat, if it fits properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).
All adults while riding in the car need to wear a seat belt every time they ride in a car and no drinking and driving.
For more information on ways to be safe while traveling in vehicles, visit here. For an appointment to have your car seat checked or information on preventing injuries, call Penn State Hershey Injury Prevention program at 717-531-SAFE (7233).