Child seats: Take care!

• Mississippi's childhood motor vehicle fatality rate is 1.6 times greater than the national average.

• In 2005 alone, 112 children under 13 were killed as passengers in Mississippi.

• The 14-20 age range had the highest rate of unbelted fatalities of all other age ranges.

• In 2006, ninety-five percent of Mississippi's children were restrained improperly.

The Mississippi Department of Health conducts safety seat checks and educates parents in the proper installation of car safety seats.

Remember:

• Kids in the back: All children under age 13 must ride in a back seat.
• Sit tight: Never let children ride on laps, in cargo areas or pickup truck beds.
• Avoid used seats: Never use car seats purchased from yard sales, secondhand stores or flea markets.
• Put your weight into it: Get a tight fit between the child restraint system and the vehicle seat. Put your weight into the child restraint system to compress the vehicle seat while tightening the seat belt as much as possible.
• Special needs: Some children require special child restraints. Premature infants, children with respiratory difficulties, orthopedic challenges, and neurological and behavioral problems may require special child restraints.
• Stay informed: Information on using vehicle seat belts with child restraints may be obtained from the vehicle seat belt''s and the owner's manual. For proper installation, read both the vehicle owner's manual and the child restraint instruction manual.

Lock it up:

• Place children in age- and size-appropriate restraint systems. This reduces serious and fatal injuries by more than half. According to statistics in 2006, 95% of Mississippi's children were improperly restrained.
• Newer seat belt systems have a built-in locking mechanism.
• Install car seats using a locked vehicle safety belt or a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system.
• Some vehicle seat belt systems require additional hardware, such as a locking clip, to lock the child restraint during normal driving conditions.
• Check your vehicle's owner's manual to determine whether a locking clip is needed to secure the child safety seat.

Always use the correct child restraint system. Never use pillows, books or towels to boost a child. Doing so can compromise your child's safety.