Posted on: Saturday, September 11, 2004
PRESCRIPTION
Make sure kids are safe in car
By Landis Lum
Many of you will be surprised to learn that car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 4 to 8. In Hawai'i, about 160 kids ages 4 to 7 are taken to hospitals as a result of traffic crashes every year.
When keiki outgrow their child car seats, 40 percent of Hawai'i parents move them straight into a seatbelt. That can be a big mistake. A child car seat is designed to protect someone who weighs up to 40 pounds. Seat belts are put together with a 150-pound adult in mind. With kids, seat belts ride up on the abdomen so that in a crash, serious injuries to soft tummy tissue can occur. And the shoulder belt can cut across the face or neck.
The solution is a booster seat that keeps the lap belt low on the hips and the shoulder belt over the chest. They are for children who weigh 40 to 80 pounds, corresponding to about ages 4 to 8. Not until a child is about 8 years old or is 4 feet 9 inches tall can adult-size lap and shoulder belts provide proper protection.
The problem is many parents don't know how important booster seats are. "Right now, belt-positioning boosters are being used by parents who are more conscious of their safety value," says Kathy Kruger of the Washington Safety Restraint Coalition.
There is a bonus to using a booster seat: Not only do toddlers behave better during trips, but they like sitting in booster seats because they can see out the windows.
While we're on the subject of riding safety, it's important to note also that you can be cited by the police for driving with anyone younger than 18 riding unbuckled in the back seat.
Children riding in the back of pickup trucks are at special risk of injury because they can be thrown from the truck and suffer serious head injury. In Hawai'i, it is illegal for children 12 or younger to ride in truck beds. Those traveling in the back of a covered pickup are at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning if the exhaust system is faulty.
Injuries are the most common cause of childhood deaths beyond the first few months of life, and motor-vehicle crashes lead the list. Buckling up your loved ones correctly will do more good than all the vaccines and antibiotics in the world.
Dr. Landis Lum is a family-practice physician for Kaiser Permanente and an associate clinical professor at the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine. Send questions to Prescriptions, Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; fax 535-8170; or islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com. This column is not intended to provide medical advice.
