MIDLOTHIAN, Va. — Much like the children who sit in them, McRae Brittingham says every model of toddler protection seat is a touch bit special.
Brittingham, a kingdom-certified child passenger protection technician, is hopeful Virginia dad and mom analyze the proper manner to put in vehicle seats beforehand of exchange in Virginia law requiring rear-facing protection seats till a toddler reaches a positive age.
“A $500 seat won’t protect your toddler if it’s no longer hooked up properly,” Brittingham stated. “The biggest issue approximately car seat protection: examine your automobile guide, study your automobile seat guide, and then parent out how they paintings collectively.”
Virginia’s new child seat law was handed in 2018 but took effect on July 1, 2019. State officials wanted to offer mother and father and family time to regulate the trade. The coverage “prohibits child restraint gadgets from being ahead-going through till, at the least, the kid reaches two years of age or till the child reaches the minimum weight restrict for an ahead-dealing with infant restraint device.”
Doctors can also determine if it is impractical for a kid to sit down in a rear-going seat due to their height.
Research by using the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that kids are 75% less likely to die or get seriously injured in an accident when their seat is rear-dealing.
“The back of the seat cradles their spines. In ahead dealing with function, their heads are going to flop ahead in a crash, and that is going to cradle them,” Brittingham stated. “We’d as a substitute have broken legs than a broken neck.”A violation of the kid safety seat law is a primary offense, which means a police officer can pull a driving force over and supply them a price tag without a separate violation.
A $50 civil penalty fine is imposed for failure to have a baby in a child restraint device, and any man or woman located guilty a 2nd or subsequent time, on one-of-a-kind dates, could be fined as much as $500, in line with the Virginia Department of Health.
Brittingham stated maximum mother and father recognize the difficulty of installing a car seat and errors are smooth to make.
“I don’t realize if I’ve ever checked a seat that didn’t as a minimum have something incorrect,” she stated.
Parents and families can make installation appointments with experts like Brittingham to check their automobile seats and get assistance from a professional. In addition, the Virginia Department of Health has a list of places you can visit to get your protection seat checked out.
Free toddler safety and booster seats are also to be had for humans of low income through a VDH application. You have to qualify and practice for the program.
“How much your toddler weighs, how tall they’re, what kind of vehicle you’ve got, what number of different children are in the vehicle, that everyone plays into what is the first-rate seat for you. There’s no ‘the quality seat,'” Brittingham stated. Brittingham, who operates Aunt McRae’s circle of relatives help company, shows dad and mom hold their toddler seat rear-facing until they flip 3 or four years old.
“Kids rear-facing constantly survive lots higher than all and sundry else inside the vehicle,” she said.
Jennifer Meade and her children visited Brittingham for an automobile seat inspection Tuesday and stated she was happy.
“The automobile seats maintain tipping a bit bit. I concept I knew the whole lot. Apparently, I don’t,” Meade said. “Even in case you’ve examined upon the entirety, and also you’ve installed your vehicle seat the manner it’s alleged to, I still advise coming here due to the fact you may have one mistake that might fee you the whole thing.”