Child passenger safety news you can use, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (Jan. 2009)

FOR CPS ADVOCATES ACROSS GEORGIA

Injury Prevention Section, Child
Occupant Safety Program
Atlanta, GA

January 2009
Volume 2, Issue 1
Child Passenger Safety News You Can Use

PROFILE: SEATS* AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INJURY PREVENTION SECTION'S MINI-GRANT PROGRAM
Rear-facing weight limit: 5-35 pounds Forward-facing weight limit: 20-50 pounds
Evenflo Titan Convertible Seat The convertible seat is the most commonly used seat among Minigrant recipients. Called a convertible seat because it can be used both rear- and forward-facing, the convertible seat can accommodate a child from five to 35 pounds rear-facing and from 20 to 50 pounds forward-facing. Before, this seat only accommodated children up to 40 pounds. The new weight limit allows the seat to be used 40% longer than the traditional convertible seat (Evenflo, 2008)! Children should ride rear-facing in this seat until they are a minimum of one-year-old AND 20 pounds, although best practice is to keep the child rear-facing until the upper weight/height limits of the seat.

NEW NHTSA SCHOOL BUS TRAINING
This course, based on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program, was developed specifically to address the unique issue of installing child safety restraint systems (CSRS) on school buses. However, for many school bus systems transporting pre-school age children is a new responsibility and they may not know how to use CSRS correctly. Working jointly with the school bus and CPS communities, NHTSA has developed this course to meet that need.
Trainings have been set up for the following dates: o January 15th, Lenox, GA o February 17th, Milledgeville, GA o February 24th, Conyers, GA o March 19th, Alpharetta, GA o May 28th, Rome, GA o July 14th, Conyers, GA
***Maximum of three participants may attend from one transportation system (i.e., trainer, driver, monitor, director, physical therapist, occupational therapist, etc.)
For more information on this course, please contact Sharon Conrad at 404-679-4803 or 678-478-3390.

Weight limit with internal harness: 20-40 pounds Weight limit without internal harness: 30**-100 pounds
**Best practice: Keep child in harness until 40 pounds
Evenflo Express Combination Seat The combination seat is the second most commonly used seat among Mini-grant recipients. This forward-facing only seat is called a combination seat because it can be used with a harness from 20 to 40 pounds and then the harness straps should be removed making it a high back booster seat that can be used up to 100 pounds. The child must be a minimum of one-year-old AND 20 pounds to ride in this type of seat and usually outgrows this seat by around four-years-old (with internal harness).
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"SAFE TRAVEL FOR ALL CHILDREN: TRANSPORTING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS"
This course is designed for child passenger safety technicians who are interested in learning more about special needs transportation. The two-day training combines classroom lectures and discussions with hands-on exercises. Participants will be introduced to medical conditions that can impact restraint selection and will have the opportunity to become familiar with and install specialized restraint systems. The training concludes with a proficiency exam that evaluates the participant's ability to assess the need for appropriate restraints and to demonstrate proper use and installation. Stay tuned for date and location information!
CERTIFICATION RENEWAL COURSE DATES
Certification renewal courses have been set up for February 26th, June 4th, and August 6th in Conyers, GA. For more information on these courses, please visit www.ridesafegeorgia.org.

CPS News You Can Use Page 2

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It is also around this age that children are behaviorally ready to graduate to the next step boosters. If a parent/caregiver desires to have their child in a harness longer, he/she may have to look for a seat that allows the harness to be used to a higher weight limit (See Alternatives to Boosters for Children Over 40 Pounds).
The other two seats offered through the Injury Prevention Section's Mini-grant are booster seats. Boosters are to be used when children outgrow their forward-facing seats. Boosters work in conjunction with the adult lap AND shoulder belt. Adult seat belts alone do not usually fit until a child is at least 4'9" (57 inches) tall, which is around 8-12 years old. Although Georgia law states that children under six should be buckled in a child safety seat or booster seat in the back seat, best practice is to keep children in an appropriate seat for their height and weight until they fit appropriately into an adult seat belt.

YOUR QUESTIONS...ANSWERED
Q: Can you switch the retractor over to the locking mode for a hyperactive child or one who does not understand how the safety belt works when using a booster seat?
A: The switching over technique varies with each child restraint manufacturer. Some child restraints have not been tested that way, and therefore, switching over the retractor will not be permitted. Other child restraint manufacturers have tested it and found the practice to be just fine. Hint: It has to do with the way the child and booster seat load the seat belt. Recommendation: Advise the parent/caregiver to call the child restraint manufacturer for their advice. If you have a question that you'd like answered in a future newsletter, please submit it to injury@dhr.state.ga.us.
WEB UPDATE

Weight limit: 30**-100 pounds
**Best practice: Keep child in harness until 40 pounds

Please visit our website at
http://health.state.ga.us/programs/injuryprevention/occsafety/index.aspx
Recent updates to the site include: New 2009 Mini-grant Application and Forms NHTSA School Bus Training Registration Form

Evenflo Sightseer High Back Booster Seat The high back belt positioning booster seat should be used when the vehicle seat back is low and the child's ears end up above it or when there is not a head rest. It is also ideal for children who still nap in the car as it provides side shields.
Weight limit: 40-100 pounds
Evenflo Big Kid No Back Booster Seat This no back belt positioning booster seat should only be used when there is a head rest or when the seat back is high and the child's ears don't end up above the seat back. The shoulder belt clip can be used if the shoulder belt rubs against the child's neck. It can be helpful to use this seat for children who think they are too old for booster seats. Its "no back" feature eliminates the seat from being seen out of the window. Remember, boosters are for big kids!
Seats are available for parents and/or caregivers who do not currently have a seat to fit their child(ren) and who meet financial eligibility requirements in the form of Medicaid, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), PeachCare, and/or other financial criteria as determined by the health department. *Newly issued seats only. Always refer to the Evenflo car seat instructions.

Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health
The Injury Prevention Section's Child Occupant Safety Program is funded through a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
STAFF
Sharon Conrad, Program Manager 404-679-4803, smconrad@dhr.state.ga.us
Marie Howard, Program Consultant 404-679-4976, mdhoward1@dhr.state.ga.us
Kyresa Westbrook, Program Consultant 404-679-0542, kxwestbrook@dhr.state.ga.us
2600 Skyland Drive NE, Upper Level Atlanta, GA 30319 Fax: 404-679-4975
Email: injury@dhr.state.ga.us Web Address:
http://health.state.ga.us/programs/injuryprevention/occsafety/index.aspx