The article will focus on the car seat safety inspection in Ohio and how the technicians check whether the car seat is properly installed. Moreover, the article highlights the importance of proper car seat installation and its benefits. It will also highlight the different types of child safety car seats, including rear-facing, forward-facing, and Booster seats, which are important to ensure the child’s safety while going on the road.
Introduction
The major cause of child death is injuries during motor vehicle accidents or car crashes. However, this can be prevented by following appropriate car safety rules or seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that by adopting the car seat safety rules, the risk of injuries due to motor vehicle accidents reduces. The death risk is reduced in infants or younger children under 1 year by 71 per cent. For toddlers between the age group of 1 to 4 years, the death risk due to car crashes decreased by 54 per cent. Moreover, by using the booster seat, the rate decreases to 45% in the case of children between the age group of 4 to 8 years. Proper installation of car seats is a crucial step, and to ensure that you have installed the car properly, the government has started the car seat inspection program.
What is a Car Seat Inspection?
Car seat inspection is developed by the government organization, which employs the child passenger safety technician or the staff member who ensures that the child seat is properly installed. The NHTSA established these. The technician who inspects the car is certified through special training, and they have the right knowledge on proper installation and usage of a car or the booster seats. Most government organizations do not take any fees for checking car seats.
Purpose of Car Seat Inspection
The main purpose of car seat inspection is to ensure that the child’s car seat is properly installed, which reduces the chance of injury during any car crash. The certified technicians assist the families and help them to install the car set properly in the vehicle. There are many car inspection stations in Ohio where people can check whether their car city is properly installed.
Who Conducts Car Seat Inspections in Ohio
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has partnered with other state and local agencies where people can check their car seats.
How to Find a Certified Car Seat Inspection Station in Ohio
Vehicle crashes are the major cause of death for millions of children in the country. The introduction of the car seat law has saved the life of 10,000 children in the last 40 years. However, some people still don’t know how to install the car seat properly. NHTSA has set up a program for the safety of children by getting their cars inspected by specially certified technicians, which can save the lives of millions of children. If you wish to have an inspection of your car, then visit here.
How to Schedule a Car Seat Inspection
If you want to make an appointment, then you need to register yourself on the official website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Also, the national child safety board inspect car seat safety. For scheduling an appointment, contact this number 614-729-1907.
Importance of Proper Car Seat Installation
As per the reports by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the child safety seat has reduced the rate of fatal injuries by up to 71% for children under the age of 1. For toddlers (1 to 4 years), the rate of fatal injuries is reduced by 54%.
Stats released by CDC
- In 2018, almost 608 children under 12 passed away in vehicle crashes, and more than 63,000 children were injured. Shockingly, about 38% have passed away because they did not have a seatbelt or safety seat restraint.
- The CDC also reported that 24% of the passengers who passed away during the car accident were involved in alcohol-impaired driving. However, by using the booster seat, the risk of getting injured during motor vehicle crashes can be reduced by 45% between the ages of 4 to 8 years of children.
- For older kids and adults, wearing a safety belt reduces the chance of death or severe injury by nearly half. Children, usually within one-year-old, must always ride inside the rear-facing seat.
Stats released by NHTSA
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that 8.2% of children under the age of 1 do not seat on rear-facing car seats. However, the rate of fatal injuries or death can be reduced by using proper buckled-up car seats, seat belts or booster seats, which are appropriate per the size and age.
The booster seat also reduces the chances of severe injuries by 45% in children between 4 to 8 years old. The booster set effectiveness is more than 45% which makes it the best seat for children. The studies also revealed with the use of booster seat prevent the chance of car crash injuries among children of age group 7 to 8.
Benefits of Proper Car Seat Installation
There are endless benefits associated with implementing the proper car seats. Similarly, the installation process is very important for safety and reducing the risk of injuries. So here are the benefits of proper car seat installation:
- Car safety seat reduces the chance of severe injuries during a car crash by 70 to 80% compared to using a seatbelt alone.
- The proper installation of car safety seats reduces the chances of spinal injuries and head injuries in children.
- The use of seat belts reduces the mortality rate during the accident by 41%.
So these are the few benefits associated with the use of cars seat.
Consequences of Improper Car Seat Installation
Most parents believe that their car seat would protect their child from injuries during fatal car accidents. Sometimes even by following the safety rules, there is still a chance of accidents it could come by you, but it can happen from the other person’s side. Consumer report states that approximately 50% of car seat are not properly installed at the time of car accidents. This could lead to the following:
· Seat ejection
During a car crash, people or objects get thrown away sideways or forward, depending on the impact side. Especially children under the age of 4 weigh less than 40 pounds, so they are mostly the ones with a high chance of falling out of the seat, which can cause severe injuries or even lead to death. When the car seat is installed properly, ensure that the straps and latch are working correctly and secure the seat as directed by the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
· Spinal injuries
The buckling system is mainly designed to prevent your children from falling, being thrown forward, or being rejected from the car seat. However, lap restraints and improper adjustment could lead to a loose seat fit. When the children stay in car seats, the loose strap can push back the children, which can cause spinal or neck trauma. This is the worst case which happens mostly during car injuries.
· Head injuries
Depending upon what type of car seat one purchases, it will always have a harness system. If the harness is not properly used, it can lead to head injury. This case mostly happens in states of the United States of America.
So these are a few of the issues which can happen if the car seat is not properly installed.
Types of Car Seats and Best Practices for Each
There are three main car seats: rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats and booster seats.
1. Rear-Facing Car Seats
Young children and babies are needed to follow Ohio law. As per the Ohio car safety seat law for
Toddlers and infants “Children below the age of 1 year and weighing more than 20 pounds should sit in a rear-facing seat.”
Best practice for rear-facing car seat
The infant should only keep their face forward if they age more than 1 year or weigh more than 20 pounds. For the best protection, the toddler and infant should be properly buckled up to the rear-facing car seat until they reach a certain weight and height, as issued by the Ohio government.
2. Forward-Facing Car Seats
Once the child reaches a certain height and weight limit, they can seat on the forward-facing seat.
Best practice for forward-facing car seat
The children should remain in the harnessed seat until they reach a certain height and weight limit. The weight limit should be between 40 to 65 pounds.
3. Booster Seats
Best practice for the booster seat
There are booster seats with and without backs. To determine the most appropriate for your child, consult the manufacturer’s directions.
Best Practices for Installing and Using Each Type of Car Seat
Using and installing the car seat is important for every trip. You can look for the booster or car seat manual to check the installation process. Some steps to check are:
- Check the recline angle of rear-facing car seats.
- The car seat installed should not move from a single inch, whether from side to side or front to the back side of the belt.
- For all child seats, a snug harness that isn’t behind children’s legs, back or arms.
- To ensure the harness is secure enough, perform the “grip test”.
- The harness clip should be at the armpit level of children.
- Ensure that the lap belt is across above the thighs, and the shoulder belt should be at the central level of the chest and shoulder.
- If you want help installing a booster or car seat, you can check for the certified technician, which you can find at https://cert.safekids.org/. They have specially trained professionals with appropriate education and provide hands-on training to install car seats.
- Never keep your child in the front seat with the airbag. The airbag could kill young children who sit in the car’s front seats. It is also important not to keep the rear-facing seat near the airbag.
- Buckle the children in the middle of the back seat. Due to its distance from any potential collision points, this is typically the best position in the car. If there is only one lap belt in the position of the middle seat, then the older children who use the booster seat should not sit on that seat. They can take some other position in the car.
Summing Up
In conclusion, the process of car inspection is really important for the safety of the child. As per the Ohio child safety car seat law, children under the age of 4 and weighing less than 40 pounds should seat in the child safety seat. This is to ensure that your child remains safe if, by chance, any accident happens. Based on the age, height and weight of the child, different types of child safety car seats have been allocated. Moreover, ensure that the child safety seat is properly installed to the car seat. To check that the seat is properly installed, you can take the help of technicians, which you can find easily around you and by visiting the official website of NHTSA. To know about the rules and regulations set by the Ohio state government, you can visit Ohio Car Seat Law ORC 4511.81. Here you will find all the Information related to child safety car seat law.
About The Author
Hassan Zaka
I am an expert in accounting and have diverse experience in technical writing. I have written for various industries on finance, business, and technology. My writing style is clear and simple, and I use infographics and diagrams to make my writing engaging. I can benefit any organization needing technical writing services.
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