|
 www.seatcheck.org
|
Child Seat Distribution |
Child Seat Misuse |
Mobile Child Safety Seat Check Up Vans | |
Certified Child Passenger Safety
Technicians |
Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor |
Special Needs Child Passenger Safety |
Airbags |
Child Passenger Safety Laws in Kansas | |
Booster Seat Facts |
Adult seat belt use |
Child Seat Distribution
Safe Kids Kansas works with community groups to distribute child seats
and booster seats. Over 27,000 child safety seats
and booster seats have been distributed by the Coalition to low
income families. The Coalition also works with local communities
to develop distribution programs.
Back to Top
Child
Seat Misuse
Misuse of child safety seats is widespread.
Studies have found that as many as four out of five car seats
are installed or used incorrectly. Read both your child safety
seat instruction manual and your motor vehicle owner’s
manual for direction on proper installation and placement of
your seat. Call 1-800-745-SAFE (English) or 1-800-747-SANO (Spanish)
for questions on installation. Check to see if your seat has
been recalled, or for additional correct
usage guidelines, go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
Or contact Safe Kids Kansas for a guide to basic car seat safety.
Child
Safety Seat Check Up Events/Fitting Stations – Four
out of five car seats are used incorrectly. When a child safety
seat is not used correctly, its effectiveness decreases, which
increases the chances for injuries or even death in a crash. Safe Kids Kansas, in partnership with community groups
and local coalitions facilitates child safety seat
check up events. At these events, trained technicians provide education
and assistance to parents and caregivers on the proper installation
and use of child safety seats. Events are open to the public.
Back to Top
Mobile
Child Safety Seat Check Up Vans
The Coalition also operates
two Mobile Child Safety Seat Check Up Vans to facilitate child
safety seat checks in local communities. One van is stationed
in Lawrence and one in Wichita to better serve the state.
Back to Top
Certified
Child Passenger Safety Technicians
Intensive hands-on training on child passenger safety seat installation.
National certification requires ongoing continuing education
and continued seat installation practice at events. In Kansas,
614 child passenger safety technicians are currently trained
and certified. Find a Technician.
Back to Top
Child
Passenger Safety Technician Instructors
Additional training
and certification is required for instructors. Find an Instructor.
Back to Top
Airbags
The
back seat is the safest place for a child to ride. It is estimated
that children ages 12 and under are 36% less likely to die in a crash
if they ride seated in the rear seat of a passenger vehicle.
- Children
ages 12 and under should ride buckled up in a back seat.
- Never
put an infant in front of an air bag. The back of a rear-facing
infant or convertible seat rests too close to the air bag.
Due to the considerable force with which an air bag deploys (up
to 200mph), the impact with the air bag can cause serious or
fatal injuries to the infant.
- For air bags to work effectively,
everyone needs to be properly secured by a safety belt.
Back to Top
Child Passenger Safety Act (KSA 8-1344) is a primary law:
Requirements:
- All children under age four must be in a federally-approved child safety seat.
- Children four years of age, but under the age of eight years must be in a federally-approved
child safety seat/booster seat UNLESS the child weighs more than 80 pounds OR is taller than 4'9'' in height.
- Children eight years of age but under the age of 14 must be protected by a safety belt.
Applies to:
- All drivers transporting children.
- All vehicles designed for carrying 10 passengers or less.
- Kansas residents and non-residents alike.
- All seating positions in vehicle.
- Pickup trucks registered for 12,000 pounds.
- Farm trucks registered for 16,000 pounds.
Other Provisions:
- Drivers may be stopped solely for a violation of the law.
- Only drivers may be cited for violations.
- There is no violation if the children (ages 4 but under 14 years old) being transported
exceeds the number of securing locations and all securing locations are in use by children.
- Only a single violation exists even when more than one child in a vehicle is not properly restrained.
- Convictions are not considered moving violations.
- Violations will result in $60 fine including court costs which may be waived if court receives proof an appropriate and approved safety restraining system was purchased or acquired.
- Persons under the age of 14 are prohibited from riding in any portion of the vehicle not
intended for passengers; this includes riding in the back of pickup trucks.
Booster
Seat Facts:
- A belt-positioning booster seat
raises the child up so that the seat belt, which is designed
for an adult body, fits the child’s body. Since children
in booster seats use the adult seat belt, no installation
of the seat is required. A belt-positioning booster seat
can not only make a child safer, but also make the safety
belt fit better and feel better to the child.
- Children aged
2 to 5 years who are restrained in an adult seat belt
are 3.5 times more likely to suffer a significant injury
than properly restrained children.
- Booster seats that meet
federal Safety standards are readily available for $20
- $40.
- Observational surveys conducted in 2009
found that 96% of Kansas children ages 0-4 were in child seats,
but only 70% of children ages 5-14 were protected by a booster
seat or seat belt.
- For information about the Kansas Law, visit www.kansasboosterseat.org
Back to Top
Adult
seat belt use:
The Kansas Safety Belt Use Act (KSA 8-2501)
is a law that states each occupant of a passenger car who is 14 years of age or older shall have a safety belt properly fastened at all times the vehicle is in motion. The law has both primary and secondary enforcement. For more specific information on the law visit http://www.ksdot.org/burTrafficSaf/safblt/adultlaw.asp.
- Studies
consistently show that the best way to get children buckled
up is to get adults buckled up. When a driver buckles
up, children are buckled up 87% of the time, however, when
a driver is unbuckled, child belt use drops to only 24%.
- A
recent study reported in the Journal of Pediatrics found “Driver
restraint use was the strongest predictor of child restraint use.
A restrained driver was three times more likely to restrain a child.”
- Many
drivers just don’t believe they’ll be
in a crash, so they don’t put on their own seat belt or
make sure that children are restrained. The possibility of being
stopped and ticketed (i.e., primary law) is a necessary step
for many drivers to properly protect children by always buckling
them up.
- A survey of parents who have infants
shows that the lack of adult belt use particularly endangers
babies; parents who don’t
buckle up are more likely to improperly place babies in the front
seat, leaving them at serious risk of being injured or killed in
a motor vehicle crash.
- Primary seat belt use laws have been
shown to be effective in increasing Safety belt use in
adults, teens, and children. Primary enforcement sends
motorists a clear message that the state considers belt
use necessary for the Safety of motor vehicle occupants.
The end result will be fewer Kansas children injured and
killed in motor vehicle crashes.
Back to Top |
