National Child Passenger Safety Week

This week is National Child Passenger Safety Week and MetroWest Public Safety offers these passenger tips to keep your little ones safe:

• If you’re pregnant, schedule a car seat installation with a certified child passenger safety technician before the child is born. You can find certified safety techs here: https://portalskcms.cyzap.net/dzapps/dbzap.bin/apps/assess/webmembers/secure/manage?webid=SKCMS&pToolCode=CERT-SEARCH&pAdd=Yes
• Children should ride in the back seat at least through age 12
• If your kids complain about wearing seat belts, don’t negotiate; don’t drive off until they buckle up
• Always be consistent and wear your seat belt; driver safety belt use strongly influences whether your child will buckle up
• The life of a car seat is from six to eight years; recalls for child seat manufacturers for the past 10 years can be found at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/childseat.cfm.
• Air bags can save the lives of older children and adults, but they can be fatal for young children. Follow guidelines for keeping younger children in the back seat.