CANTON, Mich. – Installing child and infant car seats can be challenging for parents, yet proper installation can be a lifesaving measure.
The Canton Fire Department is providing car seat inspections to ensure the safety of all child passengers.
During the COVID pandemic, many car safety checks were unavailable. These checks are now opening back up to the public.
“I would say a majority of my seats are wrong for people coming in,” Canton Fire Inspector Nichole Hamilton said. “I kind of work through it with them.”
Car seat certified inspectors like Nichole Hamilton not only show how caregivers it was installed incorrectly but also teach them how to reinstall it properly for the next time it is needed.
Avoiding hard plastic is something that many families are not aware of. That includes child mirrors to keep an eye on young passengers and many other car seat accessories.
While there are many manufacturer car seat videos available online, if you are unsure about the quality of your installation at home -- you can find a car seat-certified inspector online by clicking here.
Car seats from the perspective of an emergency physician
Written by Dr. Frank McGeorge
I’ve been practicing emergency medicine for over 30 years.
Long enough that I remember, in the early days, there were still occasional automobile accidents where a child was not properly restrained in a car seat.
Without a doubt, car seats make a difference. In those early days, children in accidents would be tossed around like rag dolls, many were ejected from the vehicle, and none of those outcomes were ever good.
Compare that to what I have seen in the recent decades of my career. I have seen patients in all manner of automobile accidents. It is not uncommon for adult occupants with serious injuries to be accompanied by a child, properly restrained, who is unscathed.
One situation comes specifically to mind. A car with two front-seat restrained adults was involved in a serious rollover accident at highway speed.
Both adults had serious internal injuries. The child, who was restrained in a rear-facing car seat in the center position, was brought in by EMS still in their car seat, which was removed from the car. The child was not only completely uninjured but oblivious to everything that just occurred.
Of course, car seats aren’t magic. Children can still be seriously injured or even killed even when properly restrained. What I can tell you from experience though, is that their chances of survival are significantly higher if they’re properly buckled in the right seat for their age and size and if that car seat is correctly installed.
As a parent, it’s one of the most basic things you can do to protect your child on the road.