HSC Public Health sponsors booster seat check Tuesday

THERMOPOLIS — Safe Kids Wyoming, in partnership with Hot Springs County Public Health will kick off Child Passenger Safety Week/Month on Tuesday by encouraging parents to know the Wyoming law.

Kids under 9 must be secured in an appropriate child restraint in the back seat of the vehicle, according to a press release from the HSC Public Health. Children in rear-facing infant seats must not be in front of an active airbag. It is a primary offense to not have your child safely and properly secured. Law enforcement can and will stop you for not restraining your child correctly and you can be fined.

Child safety seats are required by law in every state because they provide the best protection for infants and young children. However, correctly installing a child safety seat is a challenge due to the wide variety of child restraint systems, vehicle seat belt systems and vehicles on the market today. The current car seat misuse rate in Wyoming is 76.55 percent and can range all the way up to 85 percent.

This is the ninth annual “Boost ‘til 9” statewide initiative. There will be child passenger safety checks with a booster seat emphasis throughout Wyoming throughout the month of September. Every site will stress the importance of using the appropriate seat for the child’s height, weight and age as well as the correct fit for the child and the vehicle. Trained and certified child passenger safety technicians will be at each location to help with compatibility issues and to answer questions. Booster seats will be available at each site with technicians assisting families to know if a booster is right for their child and then which booster is appropriate for the child and the vehicle.

For more information on child passenger safety or the date, time and location of a check in your area, call Deb Gerharter 307-864-3311 or 1-800-994-GROW (4769) or visit safekidswyoming.org.

WHEN DO YOU USE A BOOSTER SEAT?

Children who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained in booster seats. Seat belts may be used when a child can ride comfortably with their back and buttocks against the vehicle seat back with the shoulder belt on the shoulder resting snugly over the chest and lap belt low across the hip or upper thigh. Knees should be completely bent over at the edge of the vehicle seat with feet flat on the floor, and able to stay comfortably seated this way for the entire trip.