Are you giving your kids a boost? Chances are you're not, according to a new study - and public health nurses with Coast Garibaldi Health want you to start.
A new national report unveiled today by Safe Kids Canada shows that only 28 per cent of Canadian families use booster seats for their four- to nine-year-old children, the recommended age range for this safety device. The report also shows the reason for this: more than three-quarters (84 per cent) of parents mistakenly believe their children are too big or too old for booster seats, or that the safety device is unnecessary. In fact, more than half (53 per cent) of parents believe that children can be safely restrained in seat belts by age six.
The report also shows that one child age four to nine is hospitalized every day with serious injuries from a car crash; an additional 35 die from their injuries every year.
"Parents are clearly unaware of the risks to their children," says Allyson Hewitt, executive director of Safe Kids Canada. "Many of these injuries can be prevented by the use of booster seats. Seat belts simply do not provide enough protection for children who are not big enough for seat belts. Most children do not reach the right proportions until at least age nine."
Parents' misconceptions mean that many Canadian children are at risk for a medical condition called seat belt syndrome, says Safe Kids Canada. "Seat belt syndrome describes the pattern of injuries to the internal organs and spine caused by a seat belt that doesn't fit correctly," says Hewitt. "The damage is often so severe that doctors can see the mark of the lap belt on a child's abdomen."
Seat belts are designed for adult bodies. They are designed to cross over the bones of the shoulder, chest and hips, the strongest parts of the body to withstand the forces of a crash. But children don't have the right proportions for a seat belt to fit like this until at least age nine. When a child is too small for a seat belt, it crosses the neck and abdomen, soft parts of the body that can be badly injured by the forces of a crash. The child is also at risk of being ejected from the seat belt.
Children unknowingly increase their odds of serious injury when they try to adjust an ill-fitting seat belt. Many children tuck the shoulder belt behind their backs to keep it off their necks, but this puts them at increased risk of flying forward in a crash and hitting the inside of the car.
A booster seat reduces the risk of serious injury by 60 per cent by keeping the seat belt positioned correctly over a child's shoulder, chest and hips. Safe Kids Canada recommends that all children be secured in booster seats from the time they outgrow car seats until the seat belt fits correctly, which usually doesn't happen until a child reaches age nine, often older.
"You wouldn't let your child ride your bike, because you know he or she would fall and get hurt," says Hewitt. "It's the same idea here. Don't let your child use a seat belt that was designed for adults. Kids need booster seats until they are big enough for the seat belt."
Safe Kids Week 2004 runs from May 31 to June 6.
Coast Garibaldi Health will be offering free booster seat checks for children at the Putting Children First Kindergarten Health and Childcare Fair next Saturday (June 12) at Brennan Park Recreation Centre arena from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
