Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/139497
Roads safely traveled: Car seats used correctly save precious lives When Tracey Holmberg's patients say thank you, there's often some power behind the words. That's because, if they've come back to express gratitude, it generally means their baby survived an accident. Holmberg teaches car-seat safety, a job focused on lowering motor-vehicleaccident statistics, a main killer of U.S. children and teens. "If children are secured properly in their car seat, and the car seat is installed correctly in the vehicle, their chances of survival increase significantly," says Holmberg, who finds great reward in the happy stories parents return to share. "One of our own ED nurses who has a 5-yearold was T-boned in her car, and the car rolled. Mom had to be taken to the hospital, but the child was unharmed." To the right, Holmberg offered some main tips for new parents, emphasizing that people should take advantage of car-seat fittings with certified technicians at HealthONE hospitals (hers at Swedish is open to the public) or elsewhere. Tracey Holmberg provides presentations to groups on a variety of topics, including car seat safety, teen driver safety, helmet safety, brain and spinal cord injury prevention, or senior fall prevention. Fit: Believing that one size fits all is the biggest misconception she sees with parents. Car seats need to be fitted to the baby's size, and they need to fit properly in a car, and that takes reading manuals, testing the seat in the vehicle, and trying different seats until the right one is found, Holmberg says. Use: Installation is critical and something parents often fail to do properly. Seek instruction, and understand both how to install and how to use harnesses according to your child's height and weight. Position: Keep tots in rear-facing seats for as long possible, within the size requirements of the car seat, generally until at least age 2. Always keep your infants and children in the back seat, at least until age 12. Technology: All new car seats and most cars made after 2002 have new LATCH systems, aimed at easing installation and increasing safety. However, older cars can be retrofitted for the LATCH system, Holmberg says. Bargain Shopping: Never buy car seats off of craigslist or from garage sales to save a few bucks, Holmberg says. If a seat has been in an accident, its safety is compromised, and when buying from strangers, you cannot be sure, she says. (For a hand-me-down car seat safety checklist, see the "safecar" website below.) Booster Seats: Proper booster-seat installation is just as critical as infant-seat installation. Children should be in a booster generally until they are at least age 8 or until the seat belt fits them properly, generally at about 4-foot, 9-inches tall. Follow the seat manual's size guidelines. ? Did You Know Pregnant women should ensure lap belts are low on their hips and not across their bellies, with the shoulder belt across the mid-chest area (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration). For more information on car seat safety and fittings, see: www.healthonecares.com/injury-prevention/car-seat-safety.htm www.safercar.gov/parents/GetHelp.htm www.carseatscolorado.com Health and Wellness Magazine • 51