Mayo Clinic Will Provide Free Car Seat Inspections Sept. 17

Friday, September 12, 2003

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic will provide free car seat safety inspections for the Rochester community on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 3 to 5 p.m. Inspections will be held at the Rochester Fire Station #4, 1875 41st Street NW. To ensure that everyone will be accommodated, participants must schedule an appointment by calling Sharon Munns, R.N., Mayo Clinic emergency services outreach coordinator, at 507-255-5066.

"Studies indicate over 85 percent of children are improperly restrained in their car seat or booster seat. Our goal is to prevent injuries to children by educating parents about child passenger safety," says Munns. During the inspection, Mayo Clinic staff will thoroughly evaluate each car seat to ensure it is installed properly and meets safety recommendations. Children must be present for accurate inspection of the child restraint.

General passenger safety tips for children include: _ All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat. _ Never use a rear-facing car seat in the front seat of a vehicle with an active air bag. _ All infants should be in rear-facing car seats until they weigh at least 20 pounds and are 1 year old. _ All children need to be in a car seat or booster seat until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall and weigh a minimum of 80 pounds. _ Be sure to send in your car seat registration card in case your car seat should be recalled. _ Always replace any car seat that has been involved in a crash.

When properly installed, child safety seats reduce the number of fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. However, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 4 to 14. "Many families stop using car seats too soon. It's very important to use a car seat and later a booster seat that is appropriate for your child's height and weight," says Dawn Nelson, R.N., pediatric critical care outreach coordinator at Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital.

For more information about car seat inspections, call 507-255-5066. ###

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