By Sarah Rae

Majority of car seats not installed safely: Saskatchewan Prevention Institute

Jun 24, 2016 | 2:22 PM

According to a recent study, you might not be using your child’s car seat correctly.

Saskatchewan Prevention Institute child traffic safety program coordinator Travis Holeha said the institute found 81 per cent of car seats aren’t installed properly.

The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute manages car seat clinics across the province and Holeha said almost every person has something to learn from the clinics.

He said one of the most common mistakes he sees is the straps in a car seat are too loose on the child.

“Parents are a lot of times afraid they’re going to hurt their child or make them uncomfortable,” he said. “Neither is true, so when you’re tightening up the harness you want to make sure you can only fit one index finger in between the harness and the collarbone.”

Induction Ceremony this June

North Stars relish opportunity to host SJHL Hall of Fame

5m ago

ACAC bound

North Stars' Medernach talks commitment to NAIT Ooks

22h ago

Rustlers Volleyball

Crusaders' Bell excited for next chapter with Lakeland College

Apr 24, 2024

In the Battlefords and area, WPD Ambulance and Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre run the car seat clinics. Residents can call in to schedule a clinic or attend a group clinic.

WPD operations and training manager Jessica Stephens said at clinics families learn everything from whether the seat is right for the child, to installation, to securing the child safely.

“One thing people don’t sometimes understand is that a child has to be 40 pounds to move into a booster seat, so that’s fairly heavy for a child,” she said. “Sometimes we find parents are trying to get from a car seat into a booster seat too soon and they should stay in a car seat as long as possible.”

Holeha said safety measures are basically meant to make the child part of the vehicle. The more the child is able to move around in the vehicle, the greater the chances are for ejection, injury and even death.

He said his number one wish is that every child would be in an appropriate seat for their age and size. After that, each little fix, like snugging up the straps, helps keep the child safe a little bit more.

sarah.rae@jpbg.ca

@sarahjeanrae