Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services announced it will conduct a National Seat Check Saturday event on September 20, 2014 at the Gibson Area Hospital Main Entrance. Certified child passenger safety technicians will be on hand from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm to check car seats for proper installation and advise parents and caregivers on how to choose the right car seats and install them properly in their vehicles. Appointments may be made now by calling the hospital’s OB Department at 217-784-2510.
The event is part of Gibson Area Hospital’s participation in National Child Passenger Safety Week (September 14-20, 2014), and isfree to the public. This event is one of 78 events in Illinois sponsored by AAA, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“Car seats, booster seats and seat belts are often used incorrectly,” said Tanya Windle, OB Tech and certified child passenger safety technician. No parent wants to ever get it wrong when it comes to their children’s safety.”
By attending the hospital’s car seat event on September 20, 2014, parents and caregivers can be sure their kids are riding as safely as possible in their vehicle.” Furthermore, Windle added, even if kids are in the right seat, sometimes they are not buckled in properly.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible up to the top height or weight allowed by their particular seats. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, he/she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness. After outgrowing their car seats, children should be placed in booster seats. The law in Illinois states a child must be in a booster seat until their 8th birthday. However, some children are not tall enough at age eight for the seat belt to fit them like an adult so they need to stay in a booster seat longer.
Photo: Gibson Area Hospital OB staff members Katie Cornish and Tanya Windle, check out the installation of a car seat. Cornish and Windle are OB Techs as well as Certified Child Passenger Car Seat Technicians.
Remember: All children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.
As of January 1, 2012, seat belt use is required in all seating positions.
For more information on Child Passenger Safety visit http://www.nhtsa.gov or www.buckleupillinois.org
