Car Seat/Seat Belt Safety « Safe Kids Springfield

Over 4.5 million injuries to children occur annually in the home. Find out how to keep your kids safe by visiting us at our 2nd Annual Safe Kids Baby Extravaganza. Area vendors will also be on hand to sell great baby products and services.

Our Mission

REDUCING ACCIDENTAL INJURY Accidental injury is the number one cause of death among children ages 14 and under in the United States. Also, each year one out of every four children needs medical attention for an accidental injury. Unfortunately, many of these injuries and deaths could have been prevented.
Contact Us

Safe Kids Springfield
c/o Mercy Injury Prevention Ctr.
1570 W. Battlefield, Suite 110
Springfield, MO 65807

Phone: 417-820-6671
Fax: 417-820-7227
E-mail: info@safekidsspringfield.org

Car Seat/Seat Belt Safety

Buckling up the right way on every ride is the single most important thing a family can do to stay safe in the car. But finding the safest way for each member of the family to ride can be confusing if you don’t have the right information. Safe Kids Springfield and its’ partners can make it less confusing.

Appointments

Car seat appointments are available by contacting one of the area fitting stations for an appointment. Car seat appointments usually take about 20-30 minutes per car seat. Click here for a list of inspection stations in the area.

In & Around Cars

Buckling your child up is just one way to help prevent injuries. It’s also important to be aware of the other hazards cars can pose to kids. Preventing backover and frontover incidents, heat stroke and trunk entrapment are just as important to keeping your kids safe in and around vehicles.

Every year, more than 30 children die because they are left alone in a car. In just 10 minutes a car’s temperature can increase by 19 degrees and it continues to rise as time goes on. It does not have to happen. Learn More!

For many kids, a car trunk looks like a fun place to play or hide. Tragically, many families have discovered that kids can get in but they can’t always get out. Learn More!

Danger can come from any direction, and children should never play in driveways, in parking lots or on sidewalks when vehicles are present. Learn More!

Safest Generation

Preteens ages 11 and 12 face some very difficult safety decisions. The Safest Generation program is designed to give them the tools to make responsible choices as they become more independent.

The program uses hands-on activities to help preteens get the right safety belt fit, learn about the newest technology, debunk vehicle safety myths and learn how to make decisions that could be the difference between life or death in the event of a crash.

Preteen activities are carried out by local Safe Kids coalitions. There’s also a seminar for parents to help make sure preteens are safe when riding with friends and neighbors and remind them to be good safety role models whenever they ride in a vehicle.

For more information on Safest Generation, visit www.safestgeneration.org.

Countdown2Drive

Countdown2Drive is a national education program that is designed to equip teens ages 13 – 14 and their parents with safe passenger and driving knowledge well before the teen is ready to drive legally. The program’s goal is to help teens learn how to protect themselves in vehicles as they become more independent.

A key component of the Countdown2Drive program is a parent-teen Passenger Agreement. Parents and teens can use the web tool at www.countdown2Drive.org to establish family rules and guidelines – with rewards, and consequences for teen passengers – as they begin to ride with teen drivers and begin to think about driving themselves. Writing the rules into an agreement will help everyone to understand what the family’s safe driving expectations will be when the teen begins driving.

At age 13 and 14, a teen’s risk of dying while riding with a teenage driver is double what it was when they were younger, and it continues to rise each year. The Countdown2Drive program aims to reduce this risk by helping young teens lay the groundwork for becoming safe passengers today and good drivers later.

Car Seat Training

Tens of thousands of individuals have been certified as Child Passenger Safety Technicians and Instructors since the standardized curriculum and certification program began in 1997. CPS Technicians and Instructors put their knowledge to work through a variety of activities, including child safety seat checks where parents and caregivers receive education and hands-on assistance with the proper use of child restraint systems and safety belts.

National certification of these individuals helps to enhance the credibility and professionalism of all child passenger safety advocates and practitioners, the child passenger safety community, and the organizations and programs that use the services of certified CPS Technicians. Documented CPS training and experience may also help to reduce liability.

For a list of upcoming Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification Courses, visit http://cert.safekids.org and search by State.