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. 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:
Safety experts recommend that children ride rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they reach either the height or weight limit of their rear facing child safety seat.
Infant carriers are only used rearward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats can be used either rearward-facing or forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a higher weight limit in the rearward-facing direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used rearward-facing by children who have outgrown their infant carrier but are still less than at least two years old. Children should remain rearward-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their convertible child seat.
Never place a rear-facing infant seat in front of a passenger air bag.
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direction are for children who are over two years old or who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the child seat.
All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle's seat cushion while the child's back is against the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster seat.
After outgrowing a booster seat, children under age 13 should always use a seat belt and ride in the back seat. Remember, kids of all ages are safest when properly restrained in the back seat.
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 that are 6 years old or older should be discarded and never used. Click here to check if your child safety seat has been recalled.
Always read both the vehicle owner's manual and the instructions that come with the child safety seat.
It is 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's safety seat checked!
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 Chrysler 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.
