Sheriff’s office to distribute free car seats
On Oct. 26, Deputy J.L Richardson from the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a check of child safety seats to verify they are properly installed and correctly used.
Richardson, a certified safety seat technician, will be on hand from 5:30-8:30 p.m. behind the Tyler County Courthouse to inspect and verify the installation of all child safety seats. Seats that are deemed “unsafe” will be replaced free of charge. Various sizes will be available including rear-facing for infants, forward-facing for toddlers and booster seats for tweens.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), infants should ride 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 one and at least 20 pounds.
When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at a minimum age one and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facingchild safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age four and 40 pounds).
Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age four 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 4’9″ 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).
Research on the effectiveness of child safety seats has found them to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (younger than one year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (one to four years old) in passenger cars. For infants and toddlers in light trucks,
the corresponding reductions are 58 percent and 59 percent, respectively.
Among children under age 5, an estimated 244 lives were saved in 2008 by restraint use. Of these 244 lives saved, 219 were associated with the use of child safety seats and 25 with the use of adult seat belts.
At 100 percent child safety seat use for children under age 5, an estimated 323 lives could have been saved in 2008. From 1975 through 2008, an estimated 8,959 lives were saved by child restraints.
“If you are not sure if you child’s car seat is safe, come out and let us inspect it,” stated Sheriff Bob Kendle.