Graco Children's Products Inc. Offers Carpooling Safety Tips When Traveling
with Child Passengers
EXTON, Pa., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the beginning of
the school year quickly approaching, parents will be placing their children
in the cars of friends and neighbors as they send them off to school,
daycare and extracurricular activities. While carpooling is a common
practice that helps parents manage their children's busy schedules, it is
important that all child passengers are safely secured while traveling in
any automobile.
The average carpool ride is usually a short trip, but there is still
plenty of time for an accident to happen with precious cargo in the
backseat. In fact, 25 percent of all vehicle crashes occur less than 5
minutes from the home.(1)
With more than 38 states having passed stricter child passenger safety
laws requiring children to remain in booster seats longer, some parents may
be unsure of how the new legislation relates to carpooling.(2) However,
research continues to show that the safest place for children traveling in
a car is in a height/weight appropriate child restraint system. A recent
study conducted by the Partners for Child Passenger Safety found that
placing a 4-7 year old in a belt-positioning booster seat with a seat belt
instead of a seat belt alone reduces the child's risk of injury by 59
percent.
"Take the time to transfer a child's booster seat from vehicle to
vehicle," said Carol Helminski, certified child passenger safety seat
specialist under the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration program and safety
coordinator for Graco Children's Products. "The few extra minutes it takes
to move the seat can make a world of difference in the case of an
automobile crash."
To help ensure a safe ride, Graco Children's Products offers parents
and caregivers the following carpooling checklist.
Always place children under 12 in the rear seat of a vehicle.
Booster seats, car seats or seat belts should be provided for every child
passenger in the vehicle -- choose the appropriate seat for each sized
child.
Choose booster seats that are appealing to children or even better,
include your child in the decision-making process so they are happy to use
the booster seat.
Don't forget to check that all child safety seats are properly secured
according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Every door should be locked once all passengers are safely buckled in the
vehicle. If child safety locks are available, make sure they are in
place.
Fill out a contact sheet for every child in the carpool. Keep this
information readily available in case of an emergency.
About Graco(R)
Graco Children's Products Inc., a Newell Rubbermaid company
headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, is an industry leader in the design
and manufacture of juvenile products. Graco(R) is a proven innovator in the
development of baby swings and soothers, strollers, travel systems, car
seats, highchairs, portable playards, monitors, activity centers and
jumpers. For more information on Graco(R) products, please visit
http://www.gracobaby.com.
(1) Safe Kids Worldwide (http://www.usa.safekids.org)
(2) NHTSA Occupant Protection Division
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