Los Angeles police Tuesday reminded the driving public that properly used car seats can prevent children’s injuries in crashes.
Citing research from the Ohio University School of Medicine that found more than half of children injured in car wrecks were improperly restrained or completely unrestrained, the Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday reminded residents that it offers free instruction at its four traffic divisions on how to use child car seats.
The study links car seat and seat belt misuse to more severe injuries and deaths among children ages 1 to 13.
The study calls for targeted education to help families know when children should be in car seats, booster seats or secured by seat belts.
In examining 39,993 injuries, researchers found that 39% of the children were completely unrestrained and another 19% used the wrong restraint type based on age, height or weight.
The findings also revealed the rate of inappropriate child restraint use increased from 6% at age 1 to 39% at age 7, but fell to 1% at age 13.
The percentage of unrestrained children also increased with child age, ranging from 33% at age 1 to 50% at age 13.
All children under two must ride in a rear-facing car seat. Children weighing 40 pounds more or measuring 40 or more inches in height are still required to be secured in a car seat or booster seat, in the back seat. Children 8 and older, or who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, may be secured by a booster seat, but must be secured by a safety belt.
By contacting one of the LAPD’s traffic divisions, caregivers can learn about best practices and have seats checked for recalls or expiration while receiving instructions on how to properly use the car seats.
The instruction is offered free with previous arrangements at the LAPD’s:
–Central Traffic Division at 251 E. 6th Street, reachable at 213-833-3745;
–South Traffic Division at 4125 S. Crenshaw Boulevard, reachable at 323-421-2577, with inspections conducted Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., by appointment;
— Valley Traffic Division at 7870 Nollan Place in Panorama City, reachable at 818-644-8143, with inspections on Thursdays, by appointments only; and the
–West Traffic Division at 4849 Venice Boulevard, reachable at 213-473-0215, with inspection conducted on Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Appointments are recommended.
The LAPD reminds drivers to use a five-stop test to check seat belt fit without a booster:
–Does the child sit all the way back against the vehicle seat?
–Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the edge of the seat?
–Does the lap belt rest low and snug across the bony hips/pelvis?
–Does the shoulder belt cross the center of the shoulder and chest?
–Can the child stay in this exact posture for the entire trip?
A no answer to any of the questions means the child still needs a booster seat, according to the LAPD.