How do the SeatCheck hotline and Web site work?
What are the credentials of the child seat inspectors found on SeatCheck?
What should parents expect when they get their child’s safety seat inspected?
What other safety tips do you have for parents?
What are the most common child safety seat installation mistakes made?
Who partners with Chrysler on SeatCheck?
Q. What is SeatCheck?
A. SeatCheck is a national campaign to help parents properly secure their children in motor vehicles. Central to the program is a free child safety seat inspection locator service which is available at www.seatcheck.org and toll-free at 1-866-SEAT-CHECK. These SeatCheck resources provide a listing of over 4,000 local inspection locations staffed by trained and certified child safety seat inspectors, so finding one near you should be easy. The Web site and toll-free telephone assistance are available in both Spanish and English. In addition, the Web site offers parents other useful information on keeping children safe in motor vehicles.
Q. Why is SeatCheck needed?
A. Motor vehicle crashes remain the No. 1 killer of kids. However, many of these deaths can be prevented with the proper use of child safety seats. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers (1-4 years old).
The problem is most parents and caregivers are unaware of the risk to children when they are not properly restrained in child safety seats. According to a study conducted by Chrysler, 96 percent of parents and caregivers believe their child safety seats are installed correctly, but NHTSA research shows that seven out of 10 children are improperly restrained, putting them at risk for serious injury or death in a crash. Chrysler is working to close this awareness gap through a program called SeatCheck.
Q. How do the SeatCheck hotline and Web site work?
A. When consumers call the hotline, 1-866-SEATCHECK, they will be connected to a call center representative who will ask for their city and state. Using the provided information, the representative will advise callers of the closest inspection locations in their community. A link on the www.seatcheck.org home page will connect consumers to NHTSA's listing of inspection locations by state. Upon selecting their state, consumers will be provided with a spreadsheet listing all the inspection locations in their community. The Web site also offers tips and tools for keeping kids safe when riding in motor vehicles. The hotline is available in both English and Spanish. A Spanish version of the SeatCheck Web site is coming soon.
Q. What are the credentials of the child seat inspectors found on SeatCheck?
A. All inspectors are trained and certified through the Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and certified by Safe Kids.
Q. What should parents expect when they get their child’s safety seat inspected?
A. Certified technicians will conduct the child safety seat inspection, and it should take only about 20-30 minutes, depending on the seat and the vehicle. The certified inspector will:
- Check the child safety seat to see that it has been properly installed.
- Remove and inspect the child safety seat for damage.
- Diagnose problems.
- Ensure the child safety seat is not a recalled model.
- Get information about children riders from the vehicle owner (size and weight of child, etc.)
- Ensure the child safety seat is appropriate for the size and age of the child.
- Teach the auto owner the correct procedure to properly and safely install the child safety seat in his or her auto.
- Show the parent or caregiver how to secure the child in the seat.
- Discuss other vehicles and safety seats they own, and provide instructions to repeat the correct procedure with other seats or when installing the seat in other cars.
Q. What other safety tips do you have for parents?
A. Other safety tips include:
- Infants must always be placed in rear-facing seats until they are at least one year old and 20 lbs. If less than a year old and more than 20 lbs., be sure they ride in a seat approved for heavier babies and continue to ride rear-facing until at least one year old. Children may ride rear-facing in many seats up to 35 lbs. Never place a rear-facing infant seat in front of a passenger air bag.
- Once children are forward-facing, they should ride in a forward-facing seat (toddler seat) until they reach approximately 40 lbs. All children who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained in booster seats until at least 8 years old, unless they are 4’9” tall.
- Old/used child safety seats should not be used unless you are certain they have never been in a crash and you have all the parts (including instructions). Seats six years old or older should be discarded and never used. To check if your safety seat has been recalled, check the seat recall list on seatcheck.org.
- Always read both the vehicle owner’s manual and the instructions that come with the child safety seat.
- Kids of all ages are safest when properly restrained in the back seat.
- It’s important to remember that the “best” child safety seat is the one that correctly fits the child, the vehicle, and is used correctly every time.
- Get your child safety seats checked to make sure it is installed properly!
Q. What are the most common child safety seat installation mistakes made?
A. According to the NHTSA they are:
- Not using the right child safety seats for a child’s size and age;
- Not placing the child safety seat in the correct direction;
- Incorrect installation of the child safety seat in relation to the vehicle’s air bags;
- Incorrect installation and tightness of the child safety seat to the vehicle seat;
- Not securing/tightening the child safety seat’s harness and crotch straps;
- Improper use of locking clips for certain vehicle safety belts;
- Not making sure the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly across the child when using a booster seat; and
- Using a defective or broken child safety seat.
Q. Who partners with DaimlerChrysler on SeatCheck?
A. NHTSA, AAA and Graco Children’s Products Inc. are current partners in the SeatCheck program. NHTSA maintains the database of inspection locations and events that is supplied to both the toll-free hotline and the Web site. All partners assist in efforts to promote the program.
Q. How do you promote SeatCheck?
A. Joined by committed partners and supporters, Chrysler reaches parents through a series of SeatCheck promotional initiatives. The company conducts a national advertising campaign in major parenting publications and is working to get the word out about the importance of proper safety seat use and installation through outreach to pediatricians and hospitals. Chrysler also provides funding to train certified inspectors. Graco Children’s Products, Inc. includes SeatCheck material in its child safety seat products and NHTSA created and maintains the inspection locator database. The program’s supporters also promote SeatCheck through their own outreach activities.
Through these initiatives, Chrysler and its supporters and partners have successfully linked parents with certified inspectors convenient to them. The SeatCheck Web site averages 370,000 hits and the phone hotline receives more than 1,000 calls per month.
