Safety Seats

Child seats: Take care!

Mississippi has the highest rate of childhood motor vehicle occupant death in the nation.

In 2000 alone, 43 children were killed as passengers in Mississippi.

Ninety-nine percent of Mississippi's children are restrained improperly.

Safety officials estimate 95 lives could be saved and 900 injuries could be prevented yearly in Mississippi if child safety seats are used correctly.

The Mississippi State Department of Health conducts safety seat checks and educates parents in the proper installation of car safety seats.

Remember:

Put your weight into it: Get a tight fit between the child restraint system and the vehicle seat. Put your weight into the child restraint system to compress the vehicle seat while tightening the seat belt as much as possible.

Special needs: Some children require special child restraints. Premature infants, children with respiratory difficulties, orthopedic challenges, and neurological and behavioral problems may require special child restraints.

Stay informed: Information on using vehicle seat belts with child restraints may be obtained from the vehicle seat belt's and the owner's manual. n For proper installation, read both the vehicle owner's manual and the child restraint instruction manual.

Lock it up:

Newer seat belt systems have a built-in locking mechanism.

Some vehicle seat belt systems require additional hardware, such as a locking clip, to lock the child restraint during normal driving conditions.

Check your vehicle's owner's manual to determine whether a locking clip is needed to secure the child safety seat.

Always use the correct child restraint system. Never use pillows, books or towels to boost a child. Doing so can compromise your child's safety.

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