Tech Talk - UGA A, B, or C only comply with seat belt regulations for front seat passengers. The...
Transcript of Tech Talk - UGA A, B, or C only comply with seat belt regulations for front seat passengers. The...
Save The Dates!
Child Passenger Safety
CEU Workshop
Suwanee GA
July 27, 2017
Child Passenger Safety
Training
Conyers, GA
August 8-11, 2017
Child Passenger Safety
CEU Workshop
Conyers, GA
August 17, 2017
Booster Seat Selection:
IIHS Booster Seat Rating
System
2
Spread the Word: Seat Belt Safety and Tweens
2
RAVATM Child Restraint by Nuna
3
Promote Correct Belt
Positioning Booster (BPB)
Usage and Awareness
3
Inside This Issue
Volume XI
Issue VI
July 2017 Tech TalkCar Seat Use in Recreational Vehicles By: Anthony Dilligard, MBA, CPST-I
Since we are in the middle of summer,
many families are traveling for their sum-
mer vacation plans. However, unlike the
1980’s and the fictional Griswold family,
they are no longer using the family road-
ster. Many families today choose to travel
in a recreational vehicle for a family vaca-
tion because it can accommodate the entire
family.
The most
current
research
conducted
by Dr.
Richard
Curtin in
2011 from the University of Michigan,
concludes that recreational vehicle owner-
ship has increased to 8.5 percent of house-
holds in the United States. The Recreation
Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) esti-
mates 8.9 million RV’s are on the road
today in the United States. Dr. Curtin esti-
mates that 39 percent of recreational vehi-
cle owners have children under 18 who
live at home. Due to these numbers, many
caregivers and children could be impacted
across the country and in Georgia when
they go on their summer vacations in RVs.
The seat belt laws vary from state to state
for passengers in RV’s. According to
Georgia Code 40-8-76.1 and 40-8-76, all
individuals under 18 in passenger vehicles
must have their seat belts on, regardless of
where they are sitting.
Moreover, The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) generally
does not crash test RV's. Passenger vehicles
that weigh less than 10,000 pounds are re-
quired to meet seat belt standards during crash
testing and RV’s exceed this weight limit.
According to the Manufacturers Alliance
Child Passenger Safety (MACPS), RV’s in
Class A, B, or C only comply with seat belt
regulations for front seat passengers. The rear
occupant seat belts do not meet the federal
regulations, even though
they are often secured to
the floor, because the
wooden seat structure can
fail and cause injury to
individuals in a crash.
The MACPS does not
recommend using car
seats to protect children
riding in RV’s. The MACPS recommends us-
ing a tow behind travel trailer and have the
children properly restrained in car seats in the
family vehicle. If a family is traveling with a
coach RV, a second adult should drive the
family vehicle to properly restrain the children
in car seats.
As technicians, we are to disseminate best
practice recommendations to the public. In
these situations it benefits Child Passenger
Safety Technicians (CPSTs) to understand the
laws of your jurisdictions to educate the care-
giver on child restraint practices in recreational
vehicles. If you are ever working with a care-
giver and they need additional information,
please refer them to the child restraint manu-
facturer and recreational vehicle manufacturer.
PAGE 2 JULY 2017
Booster Sear Selection: IIHS Booster Seat Rating System By: Hilda Fields, MEd, CPST-1
In 2008, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS) created an evaluation system to help caregivers
identify some of the best fitting booster seats available on
the market. Booster seats are tested to determine whether
the seat belt fits appropriately on a six-year-old test dum-
my. During crash testing, measurements are taken on the
booster seat to assess how the lap and shoulder portions
of the seat belt fit in various model vehicles. These meas-
urements are based on pre-determined seat belt configu-
rations.
After
testing is
complete,
the IIHS
rates
each
booster
seat in
one of
the four
catego-
ries listed below.
The four categories include:
BEST BETs – These are booster seats that provide a
good belt fit for an average sized 4-to-8-year olds in
almost any car, minivan or SUV.
GOOD BETs – These booster seats provide an ac-
ceptable belt fit in most cars, minivans or SUV’s.
Not recommended – These booster seats do not pro-
vide a good belt fit and should be avoided.
Check fit – These booster seats had varied results de-
pending on a child’s size.
Of the 53 2016 model booster seats evaluated, 48 of them
earned the BEST BETs rating. Several seats on the market
are lacking in their ability to provide the best fit for a child
during use.
More information regarding the Booster Seat Rating Sys-
tem is found in Volume 51, No.9 IIHS Status Report, No-
vember 17, 2016 at http://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/
archived/2016.
The tween years, between 8 and 14
years old, is a time when children
are experiencing a variety of devel-
opmental changes. These changes
contribute to the decisions they
make every day. According to the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), children
are less likely to wear a seat belt as
they get older. Parents and caregiv-
ers are a critical component to keep
children safe at this age.
To help remind caregivers how criti-
cal their role is in the safety of their
growing child, caregivers need to be
consistently reminded that they
should not “give up the fight” or
compromise a child’s safety by al-
lowing a child to ride in a vehicle
without being properly belted.
NHTSA’s Tween Seat Belt Safety
campaign “aims to improve the con-
sistent and proper use of seat belts
and reaffirms that “life is full of
compromises, but seat belt safety for
my child is not up for negotiation.”
The United States Department of
Transportation has made available to
the public a variety of marketing
Public Service Announcements
(PSA) to help spread the word about
keeping tweens safely buckled. Indi-
viduals and organizations can choose
from
banner
ads,
news-
paper
ads,
posters,
radio
an-
nouncements and social media imag-
es for their informational campaigns.
To access and download all availa-
ble Public Service Announcements,
please visit http://www.safercar.gov/
parents/SeatBelts/Toolkit.htm. Fig-
ures one and two are examples of the
Tween Seat Belt Safety campaign.
Spread the Word: Seat Belt Safety and Tweens By: Hilda Fields, MEd, CPST-1
DISCLAIMER: Trade and brand names are used only for information, and descriptions are those of the manufacturers. The University of Georgia Extension, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
and College of Family & Consumer Sciences, does not guarantee nor warrant published standards on any product mentioned, neither does the use of a trade or brand name imply approval of any product to the
exclusion of others which may also be suitable.
Figure One: Sample Magazine Ad
Figure Two: Sample Social Media
Image
The RAVATM by Nuna is a
convertible car seat that ac-
commodates children weigh-
ing five to sixty-five pounds.
Children can ride rear-facing
up to fifty pounds in weight
and up to 49 inches in height.
The labels on the RAVATM
also encourage caregivers to
follow the American Acade-
my of Pediatrics best practice
recommendations by explain-
ing that children should ride rear-facing up to
at least two years of age.
The RAVATM features the SimplyTM Secure
installation system. The SimplyTM Secure in-
stallation system allows the caregiver to in-
stall the car seat by opening the true tension
door, buckle the seat belt, and close the true
JULY 2017 PAGE 3
As Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs),
we are conscious of children riding in booster seats
incorrectly or not using a booster seat at all. With
these misuses, injuries can occur to children under
the age of twelve and may have serious implica-
tions.
According to Anderson, Carlson, and Rees, from
Washington State University, children 8 to 12 years
of age who are involved in a motor vehicle crash are
less likely to be injured if restrained in a booster
seat than by a seat belt alone (2017). A study per-
formed by Aita-Levy and Henderson from Louisi-
ana State University in 2016 states that booster seats
have been shown to effectively reduce the risk of
morbidity by 45 percent. Policies and laws encour-
age the correct use of child restraints to help reduce
motor vehicle crash injuries. When children are
prematurely placed in a lap and shoulder belt, they
become at risk for neck, head, and spinal injuries
and intra-abdominal trauma.
As stated in the CPST curriculum, the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) best practice recom-
mendation is to have children remain in a booster
seat until the lap and shoulder belt fits properly.
When a child reaches the following conditions, they
can begin the transition to a booster seat: 4 feet and
9 inches in height, 8 to 12 years of age and the
shoulder portion crosses the sternum and shoulder.
Families and children need to ride safely and cor-
rectly every time they are in a vehicle. Child advo-
cates, including CPSTs, must continue to emphasize
to caregivers to use best practices recommendations
for booster seat use through education and visual
aids.
Sources: Anderson, D. M., Carlson, L. L., & Rees, D. I. (2017). Research Arti
cle: Booster Seat Effectiveness Among Older
Children: Evidence From Washington State.
American Journal Of Preventive Medicine,
doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2017.02.023
Aita-Levy, J., & Henderson, L. (2016). Factors Affecting Booster
Seat Use. Clinical Pediatrics, 55(12), 1132-1137.
doi:10.1177/0009922815615824
Promote Correct Belt Positioning Booster (BPB) Usage and Awareness By: Mi’chelle Lumbard, MPH, CPST-I
RAVATM Child Restraint by Nuna By: Amanda Burnside, MPH, CPST-I
tension door. The caregiver is able to secure the car
seat in the vehicle without applying a large amount
of force. The SimplyTM Secure installation system
is highlighted below. The RAVATM includes col-
ored seat belt path indicators to differentiate the
rear-facing and forward-facing seat belt paths. It
also has a no rethread harness. In addition, this
convertible car seat is able to provide a child with
two extra inches of leg room when they are rear-
facing or forward-facing. The RAVATM by Nuna
costs approximately $450.00 and can be found at a
variety of national retailers.
Need another copy of your CPST card? Go to cert.safekids.org and log in.
At the bottom of your profile page, click the link that states
“Click here for Your Wallet Card/Certificate.”
GTIPI Training Dates
PAGE 4 JULY 2017
NHTSA’s recommendations for using child restraints can be found at www.safercar.gov
Are You Spreading the Word?
Best Practice Saves Lives
Register online at www.gtipi.org
CEU Workshops for CPSTs
July 10 Online Webcast
July 27 Gwinnett/Suwanee
August 17 R o ck d a l e / C o n ye r s
Child Passenger Safety Technician August 8-11 Rockdale/Conyers
P.R.I.D.E. Instructor Re-Certification
July 10 Online Webcast
August 7 Online Webcast