Buckle up! A car seat safety event approaches

Parents drive around precious cargo when they travel by car with young children. Ericka Summers, executive director of First 5 Yuba Children & Families Commission, feels the weight of that responsibility as a parent. “I’m kind of a stickler on all my passengers’ safety, like my kids do not leave the house without a helmet on a bike or scooter,” Summers said.

For children who need to be in car seats, using the right one is an important part of safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many deaths and injuries can be prevented with the proper use of car seats, booster seats and seat belts appropriate for a child's age and size. “I was always unaware of what the next transition should be,” Summers said, referring to her journey navigating car seats as a parent.



“Finding the right information is hard to sift through sometimes, especially when you’re just Googling and searching the web. It seems like a lot, and it seems really difficult.” However, she said that having a person walk you through basic standards can be helpful during that period – considering when to transition, what that looks like and what the specifications are.

Summers herself eventually became a car seat technician. “The other piece that I realized in just becoming a technician is that there are so many things that I was doing wrong installing my own car seats,” Summers said. “And I think I was pretty well-versed and pretty adamant about my kids being safe in the car, but there are just so many things that actually go into considering the car seat installation.

” To help caregivers, on Saturday, a First 5 Yuba County car seat safety event will be held at the Yuba County One Stop in Marysville from 10 a.m. to noon.

“Learn the best practices for securing your child in a car seat and get hands-on demonstrations to ensure your little one's safety on the road,” a description for the event reads. Summers said that they will inspect what you have with your child. Components like age, height and weight will be considered.

“If it's that they don’t have that option available in their car, or maybe they’re ready to go to the next stage of car seat, then we have all those on hand. And then we provide those and help them install them,” Summers said. According to First 5 Yuba County, here are some car seat safety tips: – Buying the right seat: California law requires your child be in a rear-facing car seat until at least 2 years old.

Best practice is to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible, based on the car seat weight/height limits. When your child has outgrown their rear-facing seat, you are ready for a forward-facing seat. – Installing the seat: You'll need to decide what type of system you will use when installing your car seat.

You can choose either the seat belt, or the lower anchors to secure the seat. Both are safe, but unless specifically called for in your car seat manual, do not use both. It is important to use the tether in your child's forward facing car set.

– Getting the right fit: A properly fitted harness gives your child the best possible protection. For more information on getting the right fit for your child, visit safekids.org .

– When to change seats: Look at your car seat's label or manual to make sure your child is within the height, weight and age limits for that seat. Get more details about when to change seats at safekids.org .

Yuba County One Stop is located at 1114 Yuba St. in Marysville. To register for the upcoming event, visit www.

first5yuba.org ; the registration page notes that attending the event does not guarantee a free car seat. This project is funded by a grant through the California Office of Traffic Safety.

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