One Minute Car Safety Seat Check for Your Child

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Stephanie Tombrello
Executive Director, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.
http://www.carseat.org/   

SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. the national, non-profit organization dedicated to child passenger safety. Our mission is to help reduce the number of serious and fatal traffic injuries suffered by children by promoting the correct, consistent use of safety seats and safety belts.

Founded in 1980, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. is nationally recognized for program excellence, training, and up-to-date technical materials. We provide consultation to advocates, parents, business leaders, the media, and professionals working in the fields of health care, traffic safety, and education.

Stephanie M. Tombrello, L.C.S.W., Executive Director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., has been involved in child passenger safety since 1970. While shopping for a car seat for her infant daughter, she was shocked to learn that most of the models available in stores were unsafe. Stephanie and several other early pioneers in the field successfully petitioned the federal government to require crash testing for child restraints.  She also wrote the petition which resulted in the federal requirement for manufacturers to provide shoulder belts in the rear seats of all post-1989 passenger vehicles.


In 1980, Stephanie founded a grassroots organization in the Los Angeles area which evolved to become SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Under her leadership, the organization has become the premier resource for child passenger safety in the nation. Stephanie is a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician-Instructor and was appointed in 1995 to the National Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Restraint & Vehicle Compatibility.

One Minute Car Safety Seat Check for Your Child

In this video, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Executive Director Stephanie Tombrello explains how to select the appropriate safety seat for a toddler or small child, how to prevent injuries from air bags, how to install the safety seat correctly, and the safest location in the car for the child. She shows common types of car seat misuse and explains how to keep a fussy toddler buckled up. The final segments include a one-minute car safety check and additional safety tips for the whole family.

This expert: 101,227 views

This series: 24,614 views

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Transcripts

Stephanie Tombrello: Hello. I am Stephanie Tombrello, Executive Director of SafetyBeltSafe U.

S.

A. We have been talking about how to keep your toddler or young child safe and secure in the car.

Now, I would like to share with you one minute safety check to do after you have installed your safety seat in the car and placed your baby in it. Now, the first thing you want to make sure is that your safety seat is not moving more than an inch to the sides or front of the car, that you have it properly attached with either the latch, connections or with your safety belt system. Make sure that you check that the harness is snug enough, first snug it on the child then take your fingers and pinch to see if you can get any fabric between your fingers. If you can't get any harness fabric between your fingers then move the retainer clip or chest clip to armpit level.

Now, that's how you conduct a one minute car safety seat check for toddlers and young children. Next, I will be discussing some additional car safety tips.

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