Denver Health is proud to be a member of Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Team Colorado. CPS Team Colorado and Denver Health train child passenger safety technicians educate families on car seat installation and provide a safe ride home for thousands of children. The State of Colorado currently has a 90 percent misuse rate on the installation of car seats. Denver Health is focused on decreasing this statistic through their involvement in community wide child passenger safety trainings and check up events and a monthly car seat fit station.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children of every age from 3 to 14 years old. In the United States during 2005, there were a total of 43,443 traffic fatalities. Children under the age of 14 years old accounted for 1,946 of those traffic deaths and 234,000 children were injured. An average of five children are killed and 640 injured each day; 46 percent of these children were unrestrained. Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in motor vehicles by 71 percent for infants, 54 percent for toddlers and 59 percent for children in booster seats. Among children under age 5, an estimated 420 lives were saved in 2005 by child restraint use.
Colorado has over 90 percent misuse rate on car seat installation with an average of at least three things wrong with the installation of the seat or security of the child. Common errors in care seat safety include:
- The seat is not installed tightly enough in the car - it should not move more than one inch side to side.
- The harness is too loose on the child - it should be snug.
- The child has too much clothing on under the harness (i.e., wintertime heavy jackets).
- The child is not in the right car seat for their age/weight.
- The child “graduates” to booster seat too quickly - harnessed seats should be used until the child weighs 40 lbs.
- The seat is installed in front of air bags.
- The child is traveling in the vehicle without a car seat or booster seat.
View step-by-step instructions for installing your car seat and get your car seat checked at a car seat check up event or car seat fit station. Event information can be obtained at www.carseatscolorado.com or 1-877-LUV-TOTS.