SAFE START PROGRAM
At EAC Network, we want to ensure every parent and caregiver has access to the education they need to protect their children while on the road. That’s why our Safe Start program coordinates with the Department of Health’s Injury Prevention Program to provide information to the public regarding child safety. Our bi-lingual outreach coordinators conduct educational events to inspect and show parents how to properly restrain their children in a motor vehicle.
Tips on How to Keep Your Child Safe in Your Car:
- Always read the child safety seat instructions and your vehicle owner’s manual carefully before installing your child safety seat.
- For children ages 0-2, always make sure to set them in a rear-facing child safety seat. Never put a rear-facing safety seat in the front seat of your vehicle. Car seat use for infants reduces the risk of death in a crash by 71%.
- Once your child reaches age 2, or reaches the weight and height limitations of his/her rear-facing seat, upgrade your child to a forward-facing car seat. Use the forward-facing car seat until your child reaches age 5 or until your child exceeds the height and weight limitations of the safety seat.
- Children aged 5 and up that exceed the limitations of a forward-facing car seat may begin to use a booster seat. Your child should be buckled with a belt positioning booster seat until the seatbelt properly fits your child.
- Always buckle children in the middle of the seat, which is the safest position in the vehicle.
- Never seat your child behind an airbag. Airbags may fatally injure your child
Remember, you can always set a good example for your child by properly using your seatbelt every trip.
Not sure if your child’s safety seat is properly installed? Read more about Safe Start here and read Safe Start’s brochure on child safety seats.
