Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, November 25, 2016
(BLOOMINGTON) - The amount of child safety seats found to be improperly installed and/or used is frightening, which is why Riley Physicians, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI), works to ensure child safety in vehicles.
"Recent studies show that up to 50 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly," said pediatrician Heather Franklin, of IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians, a partner with Riley Physicians. She said errors can include not being set in the correct angle or allowing too much movement in case of accidents. These installation errors can have life-threatening results.
"Proper installation and securing of the car seat is important so that in the event of an accident the child isn't ejected through a window and out of the car. Additionally, it's important to make sure the car seat isn't loose enough to hit some other part of the car upon impact," said James J. Laughlin, MD FAAP. "Having the seat not properly secured can affect how secure the child is restrained and may allow the child to get out of the restraint either accidentally during impact, or intentionally which can become a cause of an accident."
All children less than eight years of age are required by Indiana's child passenger safety law to be properly secured in a federally approved child restraint system. Children should move to a new restraint level only when they outgrow the weight and height limits for the previous level. The ICJI said children have less protection each time they move to a new restraint system.
Sign up for a free safety check and receive valuable information and resources to help keep children safe.
Free child seat inspection stations are offered throughout the year at 5081 N. Old State Road 37 in Bloomington, IN. Call (812) 333-2304 to sign up for a safety check that fits your schedule.
For more information on Indiana's child passenger seat law, please visit: in.gov/cji/2383.htm. For a complete list of Indiana child seat inspection stations by county, visit: childseat.in.gov. To learn more about IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians, please visit: iuhealth.org/southern-indiana-physicians.
Indiana University Health Bloomington has provided leading care to south central Indiana for more than 105 years. As a not-for-profit organization, IU Health Bloomington serves a patient base of more than 415,000 people in 10 south central Indiana counties. It holds Magnet designation as well as Primary Stroke Center certification, is an accredited Chest Pain Center and received approval with commendation from the Commission on Cancer. To learn more about IU Health Bloomington, visit iuhealth.org/bloomington or call 812.353.5252.
As the only nationally recognized healthcare system in Indiana, Indiana University Health is dedicated to providing a unified standard of preeminent care. A unique partnership with Indiana University School of Medicine - one of the nation's leading medical schools - and the depth of experience from the most complete network of highly skilled specialty and primary care physicians, gives IU Health unparalleled strength in delivering assurance to patients. Discover the strength at iuhealth.org.
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