Grain Valley Police Departemnt

 

 

                                                                                                           

                                                                                   

Phone 816-847-6250     711 Main Street, Grain Valley, Missouri 64029      Fax: 816-847-6259

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

 

 

 

 

                     

 

                  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure your child safety seat is properly installed. 

Officer schedules vary.  Please call the Grain Valley Police Department at 816-847-8250 and make an appointment with School Resource Officer or Crime Prevention Officer Jon Davidson.  You can also find other certified child passenger safety technicians at www.nhtsa.dot.gov or by calling MoDOT’s Highway Safety Division at 1-800-800-BELT.

 

The following excerpt is from an article released by MoDOT on February 7, 2005 when Governor Matt Blunt proclaimed Child Passenger Safety Week.

“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages two through 14. In Missouri, 21 children under the age of nine were killed and 2,364 were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2003.   Sadly, many of these children were not restrained in the vehicle by a child safety seat or a booster seat.
 
Moving a child to a safety belt too early greatly increases risk of injury.   Children ages two to five who are prematurely graduated to safety belts are four times more likely to suffer serious head injuries in a crash than those restrained in child safety seats or booster seats.   According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the appropriate restraint device changes depending on a child’s age, height and weight.
 
NHTSA recommends using several types of restraints to protect a child at each stage of development.
 
The 4 Steps for Kids are:

  1. Rear-facing infant seats in the back seat from birth to at least one year old and at least 20 pounds.

  2. Forward-facing toddler seats in the back seat from age one and 20 pounds to about age four and 40 pounds.

  3. Booster seats in the back seat from about age four and 40 pounds to at least age eight, unless 4’9” tall.

  4. Safety belts for children eight and above or taller than 4’9”.   All children 12 and under should ride in the back seat.

Even parents who are strict about always restraining children might be failing to use safety seats and safety belts correctly.   When installing a child safety seat, adults should read the safety seat and vehicle instructions carefully.   The most common misuses are as follows:

  • not having the safety seat buckled in the vehicle tightly enough or not buckled in at all;

  • harness straps too loose;

  • using the wrong safety seat for the size of the child; and

  • not using booster seats for children over four years of age."

© 1998-2005 Missouri Department of Transportation, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.