MILWAUKEE— Making sure kids are properly secured in their car seats is a critical step towards keeping children safe but for many it’s not always so easy.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly and that’s something Trooper John Corey with the Wisconsin State Patrol wants to change.
“I have three children of my own. I know how crazy they can be in the car and sometimes how difficult it is with car seats,” Core said. “I’ve installed those three car seats in countless vehicles, countless times and it can be a pain.”
As a child passenger technician, Corey works with parents and other drivers to make sure their car seats and boosters and set up properly, in part through consultation sessions.
As National Child Passenger Safety Week continues through Saturday, Corey said he wants to help bring attention to the issue.
"One of the main things is making sure that people understand that these car seats can save lives,” Corey said. "With that, we need to make sure that when we are selecting a car seat or thinking about upgrading a car seat that we're sticking to the best practices."
He recommends people focus on a child’s height and weight more than their age, read car seat installation instructions carefully, and check for expiration dates or recalls.
The NHTSA reports when done correctly car seats can reduce the risk of fatal injuries in a crash by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers.
WI DOT officials report, according to Wisconsin state law, children must ride in a:
- Rear-facing car seat until they are one year old and weigh 20 pounds
- Forward-facing car seat with a harness until they are four years old and weigh 40 pounds
- Booster seat until they are eight years old, weigh 80 pounds or are 4’9” tall
If you’re interested in getting help making sure your car seats and boosters are in good shape visit the Safe Kids Wisconsin website to search for a technician by county and schedule a consultation.
In 2021, NHTSA data shows 1,184 children under the age of 14 were killed in car crashes and an estimated 162,298 were injured.
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