Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Public Health, Social Determinants of Health, Uncategorized

Riding Without a Car Seat?

22
Oct

A car seat can save your child’s life. End the streak now so your child can ride safely tomorrow.

Children should always be safe in their vehicles – yet TxDOT estimates that 90% of Texas kids are improperly restrained in their car seats. The value of a child’s life while traveling shouldn’t be up for debate. In 2023, 47 children younger than eight-years-old were killed in Texas traffic crashes, and 320 were seriously injured. The risks and consequences of these accidents can be reduced with proper car seat fittings and safety measures.

Legacy Beaumont hosts a car seat safety event every year to assist patients in getting the right restraints for their most precious cargo. Legacy partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDoT) for three hours to distribute 34 car seats and check 37 more, to make sure they were fitted properly. They provided the information and education, “to make sure everybody is leaving safer than they arrived,” according to TXDoT Traffic Safety Specialist, Theresa Parma.

The video is here.

Texas Child Passenger Safety Seat Systems law (Transportation Code 545.412) states, “It is an offense if a person transports a child who is younger than eight (8) – unless the child is taller than 4 feet 9 inches – and does not keep the child secured in a child passenger safety seat system while driving a passenger vehicle according to the manufacturer’s instructions.”

Legacy values the health and safety of children and takes care to raise awareness and educate patients. If you have ever seen the ‘crash test dummy’ public service announcement on TV, you can only imagine what happens to a child who is improperly restrained when their car is impacted in a major collision.

Car Seat Options

To ensure patients are getting the opportunity to ensure the safety of their children, Legacy partnered with the Safe Riders Child Passenger Safety Program. Safe Riders is a statewide program focused on child car safety, working to reduce child injuries and deaths due to vehicle crashes.

  • Children are better protected the longer they can ride in a rear-facing safety seat – up to two years if possible.
  • Convertible seats are best for infants till about toddler age.
  • Forward-facing combination seats are generally toddler to about age four.
  • Booster seats are for ages four and up.
  • For the rear-facing car seats and any child in general, ensure your child is not left alone in their car as most cannot yet remove themselves from their seat. Heat strokes from children left in cars are a common issue in Texas. Despite the seasonal changes, heat is common, so be vigilant about removing your child from hot cars that could turn fatal.

Where to Get a Car Seat

If you don’t know where to get a proper car seat or how to properly install one, please check with your health plan to see if they cover car seats.

There are occasional events that take place within your state where proper car seats can be distributed. For National Child Passenger Safety Week in September, several events were hosted by Safe Kids in the Greater Houston Area. On Saturday, September 21st, Legacy held its event at Lyons clinic where car seats were handed out and fitted.

Although these events are over, this doesn’t mean that there will not be more events in the future. In addition, Legacy has Child Passenger Safety Technicians on staff who can assist in expanding patient car seat knowledge. Reach out to your Legacy provider to learn how you can get connected to our highly skilled technicians. There are also inspection stations for those who already have a seat and just want to get it checked.

The value of a child’s life is priceless, so ensure you are using the correct seat every time for every ride. #EndTheStreak

Additional Resources