– The make and model of the child safety seat – The make, model and year of your vehicle Call 31 and ask for Shasta or Allison.īe ready to provide the following information: If you can’t make the event on Monday, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will still help you for free. We’ll just let them know what they have to work on when they get home to see how the harness fits.”
“If you do bring your child, we can get a more accurate placement on what is the safest for the seat and how they are fitting with the harness and everything in the seat, but if you do not have the child we can still install it.
“We will show them how each car seat should be installed, let the caregivers also practice on installing the car seat and just give them some tips on how to do that,” said Deputy Clerk Shasta Decker. Pass says if the airbags deployed in the crash or body work needs repaired, you need to get a new car seat. Was the seat involved in a crash or something of that nature?” And you want to use a lot of caution if you’re using a seat that you got from an unknown source, a garage sale, or a hand-me-down seat that you don’t know the history of. It’s usually six years from the date of manufacture.
So if you’re using a seat from another child or a hand-me-down seat, you want to make sure that seat’s not expired. Pass says to be careful if getting a used seat or reusing a seat for another child. “Make sure that it’s installed tight, and it doesn’t move more than an inch in any direction,” she said. Some people don’t have an option, but if there’s an option to turn off the airbag, then definitely use that option.” “The new recommendations are actually to keep them rear-facing as long as possible, and definitely in the backseat is the safest. “It’s the safest for the child,” said Nicholson. Riley Children’s Hospital suggests the child be rear-facing until at least 2-years-old, not just 20 pounds. The child must be rear-facing until they weigh 20 pounds.
The manufacturers test them installed a particular way, so if they’re installed outside of that way, then it’s possible the seat may not afford as much safety as it could have if it was installed correctly.” “It’s important that they be really tight. He says many times the seats are too loose. “A lot of times the parent will really appreciate that.” “You can usually find a tactful way to talk about that and be helpful,” said Sgt. Pass says he often sees car seats used incorrectly, and sometimes not used at all, when he makes traffic stops. “And whether that be a booster seat or a forward-facing seat, until their 8th birthday they have to be in some type of child restraint.” “In the state of Indiana, the child has to be restrained in a child restraint until their 8th birthday,” said Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Sgt.
“It could be the difference between a broken arm or leg and a spinal cord or brain injury,” said Allison Nicholson with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 72% of car seats are not used correctly. Scott Pass spent four days taking classes to get certified, and they say it’s overwhelming for parents to figure out on their own when they’re simply given the seat and an owner’s manual. to 3:30 p.m.Ĭertified technicians will be conducting installations and inspections for all types of seats.Īllison Nicholson, Shasta Decker and Sgt.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a free child car seat installation and inspection community event on Monday from 8:30 a.m. (August 10, 2015) – Installing a car seat can be tricky, and if done wrong, it can be deadly. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.