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August 8-11, 2017

Child Passenger Safety

CEU Workshop

Conyers, GA

August 17, 2017

Booster Seat Selection:

IIHS Booster Seat Rating

System

2

Spread the Word: Seat Belt Safety and Tweens

2

RAVATM Child Restraint by Nuna

3

Promote Correct Belt

Positioning Booster (BPB)

Usage and Awareness

3

Inside This Issue

Volume XI

Issue VI

July 2017 Tech TalkCar Seat Use in Recreational Vehicles By: Anthony Dilligard, MBA, CPST-I

Since we are in the middle of summer,

many families are traveling for their sum-

mer vacation plans. However, unlike the

1980’s and the fictional Griswold family,

they are no longer using the family road-

ster. Many families today choose to travel

in a recreational vehicle for a family vaca-

tion because it can accommodate the entire

family.

The most

current

research

conducted

by Dr.

Richard

Curtin in

2011 from the University of Michigan,

concludes that recreational vehicle owner-

ship has increased to 8.5 percent of house-

holds in the United States. The Recreation

Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) esti-

mates 8.9 million RV’s are on the road

today in the United States. Dr. Curtin esti-

mates that 39 percent of recreational vehi-

cle owners have children under 18 who

live at home. Due to these numbers, many

caregivers and children could be impacted

across the country and in Georgia when

they go on their summer vacations in RVs.

The seat belt laws vary from state to state

for passengers in RV’s. According to

Georgia Code 40-8-76.1 and 40-8-76, all

individuals under 18 in passenger vehicles

must have their seat belts on, regardless of

where they are sitting.

Moreover, The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) generally

does not crash test RV's. Passenger vehicles

that weigh less than 10,000 pounds are re-

quired to meet seat belt standards during crash

testing and RV’s exceed this weight limit.

According to the Manufacturers Alliance

Child Passenger Safety (MACPS), RV’s in

Class A, B, or C only comply with seat belt

regulations for front seat passengers. The rear

occupant seat belts do not meet the federal

regulations, even though

they are often secured to

the floor, because the

wooden seat structure can

fail and cause injury to

individuals in a crash.

The MACPS does not

recommend using car

seats to protect children

riding in RV’s. The MACPS recommends us-

ing a tow behind travel trailer and have the

children properly restrained in car seats in the

family vehicle. If a family is traveling with a

coach RV, a second adult should drive the

family vehicle to properly restrain the children

in car seats.

As technicians, we are to disseminate best

practice recommendations to the public. In

these situations it benefits Child Passenger

Safety Technicians (CPSTs) to understand the

laws of your jurisdictions to educate the care-

giver on child restraint practices in recreational

vehicles. If you are ever working with a care-

giver and they need additional information,

please refer them to the child restraint manu-

facturer and recreational vehicle manufacturer.

PAGE 2 JULY 2017

Booster Sear Selection: IIHS Booster Seat Rating System By: Hilda Fields, MEd, CPST-1

In 2008, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

(IIHS) created an evaluation system to help caregivers

identify some of the best fitting booster seats available on

the market. Booster seats are tested to determine whether

the seat belt fits appropriately on a six-year-old test dum-

my. During crash testing, measurements are taken on the

booster seat to assess how the lap and shoulder portions

of the seat belt fit in various model vehicles. These meas-

urements are based on pre-determined seat belt configu-

rations.

After

testing is

complete,

the IIHS

rates

each

booster

seat in

one of

the four

catego-

ries listed below.

The four categories include:

BEST BETs – These are booster seats that provide a

good belt fit for an average sized 4-to-8-year olds in

almost any car, minivan or SUV.

GOOD BETs – These booster seats provide an ac-

ceptable belt fit in most cars, minivans or SUV’s.

Not recommended – These booster seats do not pro-

vide a good belt fit and should be avoided.

Check fit – These booster seats had varied results de-

pending on a child’s size.

Of the 53 2016 model booster seats evaluated, 48 of them

earned the BEST BETs rating. Several seats on the market

are lacking in their ability to provide the best fit for a child

during use.

More information regarding the Booster Seat Rating Sys-

tem is found in Volume 51, No.9 IIHS Status Report, No-

vember 17, 2016 at http://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/

archived/2016.

The tween years, between 8 and 14

years old, is a time when children

are experiencing a variety of devel-

opmental changes. These changes

contribute to the decisions they

make every day. According to the

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA), children

are less likely to wear a seat belt as

they get older. Parents and caregiv-

ers are a critical component to keep

children safe at this age.

To help remind caregivers how criti-

cal their role is in the safety of their

growing child, caregivers need to be

consistently reminded that they

should not “give up the fight” or

compromise a child’s safety by al-

lowing a child to ride in a vehicle

without being properly belted.

NHTSA’s Tween Seat Belt Safety

campaign “aims to improve the con-

sistent and proper use of seat belts

and reaffirms that “life is full of

compromises, but seat belt safety for

my child is not up for negotiation.”

The United States Department of

Transportation has made available to

the public a variety of marketing

Public Service Announcements

(PSA) to help spread the word about

keeping tweens safely buckled. Indi-

viduals and organizations can choose

from

banner

ads,

news-

paper

ads,

posters,

radio

an-

nouncements and social media imag-

es for their informational campaigns.

To access and download all availa-

ble Public Service Announcements,

please visit http://www.safercar.gov/

parents/SeatBelts/Toolkit.htm. Fig-

ures one and two are examples of the

Tween Seat Belt Safety campaign.

Spread the Word: Seat Belt Safety and Tweens By: Hilda Fields, MEd, CPST-1

DISCLAIMER: Trade and brand names are used only for information, and descriptions are those of the manufacturers. The University of Georgia Extension, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

and College of Family & Consumer Sciences, does not guarantee nor warrant published standards on any product mentioned, neither does the use of a trade or brand name imply approval of any product to the

exclusion of others which may also be suitable.

Figure One: Sample Magazine Ad

Figure Two: Sample Social Media

Image

The RAVATM by Nuna is a

convertible car seat that ac-

commodates children weigh-

ing five to sixty-five pounds.

Children can ride rear-facing

up to fifty pounds in weight

and up to 49 inches in height.

The labels on the RAVATM

also encourage caregivers to

follow the American Acade-

my of Pediatrics best practice

recommendations by explain-

ing that children should ride rear-facing up to

at least two years of age.

The RAVATM features the SimplyTM Secure

installation system. The SimplyTM Secure in-

stallation system allows the caregiver to in-

stall the car seat by opening the true tension

door, buckle the seat belt, and close the true

JULY 2017 PAGE 3

As Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs),

we are conscious of children riding in booster seats

incorrectly or not using a booster seat at all. With

these misuses, injuries can occur to children under

the age of twelve and may have serious implica-

tions.

According to Anderson, Carlson, and Rees, from

Washington State University, children 8 to 12 years

of age who are involved in a motor vehicle crash are

less likely to be injured if restrained in a booster

seat than by a seat belt alone (2017). A study per-

formed by Aita-Levy and Henderson from Louisi-

ana State University in 2016 states that booster seats

have been shown to effectively reduce the risk of

morbidity by 45 percent. Policies and laws encour-

age the correct use of child restraints to help reduce

motor vehicle crash injuries. When children are

prematurely placed in a lap and shoulder belt, they

become at risk for neck, head, and spinal injuries

and intra-abdominal trauma.

As stated in the CPST curriculum, the American

Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) best practice recom-

mendation is to have children remain in a booster

seat until the lap and shoulder belt fits properly.

When a child reaches the following conditions, they

can begin the transition to a booster seat: 4 feet and

9 inches in height, 8 to 12 years of age and the

shoulder portion crosses the sternum and shoulder.

Families and children need to ride safely and cor-

rectly every time they are in a vehicle. Child advo-

cates, including CPSTs, must continue to emphasize

to caregivers to use best practices recommendations

for booster seat use through education and visual

aids.

Sources: Anderson, D. M., Carlson, L. L., & Rees, D. I. (2017). Research Arti

cle: Booster Seat Effectiveness Among Older

Children: Evidence From Washington State.

American Journal Of Preventive Medicine,

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2017.02.023

Aita-Levy, J., & Henderson, L. (2016). Factors Affecting Booster

Seat Use. Clinical Pediatrics, 55(12), 1132-1137.

doi:10.1177/0009922815615824

Promote Correct Belt Positioning Booster (BPB) Usage and Awareness By: Mi’chelle Lumbard, MPH, CPST-I

RAVATM Child Restraint by Nuna By: Amanda Burnside, MPH, CPST-I

tension door. The caregiver is able to secure the car

seat in the vehicle without applying a large amount

of force. The SimplyTM Secure installation system

is highlighted below. The RAVATM includes col-

ored seat belt path indicators to differentiate the

rear-facing and forward-facing seat belt paths. It

also has a no rethread harness. In addition, this

convertible car seat is able to provide a child with

two extra inches of leg room when they are rear-

facing or forward-facing. The RAVATM by Nuna

costs approximately $450.00 and can be found at a

variety of national retailers.

Need another copy of your CPST card? Go to cert.safekids.org and log in.

At the bottom of your profile page, click the link that states

“Click here for Your Wallet Card/Certificate.”

GTIPI Training Dates

PAGE 4 JULY 2017

NHTSA’s recommendations for using child restraints can be found at www.safercar.gov

Are You Spreading the Word?

Best Practice Saves Lives

Register online at www.gtipi.org

CEU Workshops for CPSTs

July 10 Online Webcast

July 27 Gwinnett/Suwanee

August 17 R o ck d a l e / C o n ye r s

Child Passenger Safety Technician August 8-11 Rockdale/Conyers

P.R.I.D.E. Instructor Re-Certification

July 10 Online Webcast

August 7 Online Webcast