Children's of Alabama holds car seat safety clinic

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1-13 and more than 300 children under five are saved by car seats each year.

So Sunday afternoon, Children‘s of Alabama and Hyundai hosted an event at the Summit to check car seats and make sure they are set up properly.

Safe Kids Coordinator Leslie Brown says during these checks, their safety technicians look for any recalls on your current seat. They also re-position the seat to be as safe as possible and teach you the best way to harness a child in that seat.

“We’re just educating parents and making sure that they understand because there are so many different vehicle types, there are so many different types of car seats,” she said. “So reading their manual sometimes can be confusing, it can be overwhelming so sometimes having hands-on help with the parent to assist them just helps the parent to be able to do it when they get home.”

If you were unable to make the clinic, Brown says you can make a free appointment with Children’s to get your car seat checked and learn the proper way to harness your child in that seat. The phone number to call is 1-800-504-9768.

Children’s of Alabama provides more information to keep your family as safe as possible.

In Alabama there are specific car seat criteria you need to know about depending on the age and weight of your child. This is laid out in a law from 2006.

From the minute your baby is born to age 1 or 20 pounds, you should be using an infant-only or convertible seat in the rear facing position. Some parents use a mirror so you can still see your baby’s face from the front seat.

From age 1 or 20 pounds to age 5 or 40 pounds, you can use a convertible seat in the forward facing position.

A booster seat should be used for children age 5 or 40 pounds up to age 6 and from then on out, a seat belt should be used.

ADPH says all kids younger than 13 should be seated in the back seat for optimal protection.

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