Wyoming law requires young children to be properly restrained while riding in vehicles. This is for a good reason — motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of children in Wyoming. That’s why it is so important that you not only use car seats when traveling with your kids, but that you also learn to use them properly from someone certified in Child Passenger Safety.
Of the 1,100 car seats checked throughout Wyoming in 2006, a full 89% were found to be installed incorrectly! It doesn’t matter how familiar you are with your car seat, or how many times you have installed it — if you have not visited with a trained professional, your child may not be restrained correctly.
Our Car Seat Safety Technicians complete a four-day training course that includes lectures, hands-on experience, and workshops. Continued education is required to keep these certifications up to date. Call us at 684-2564 to schedule an appointment, and bring your car seat manual along with the owner’s manual for your vehicle if you have it. We will make sure you know how to use your device safely and properly. And if you can’t afford a car seat for your child, we may be able to supply you with one for a suggested donation.
Following are some guidelines for proper car seat safety use:
INFANTS / TODDLERS
All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer.
Tips:
Never use in front seat where an airbag is present
Tightly install child seat in the rear seat of the vehicle facing the rear
Child seat should recline at approximately a 45-degree angle – check the angle indicator on the seat to ensure a proper angle.
Harness straps / slots should be at or below shoulder level (lower set of slots for most convertible child safety seats)
TODDLERS / PRESCHOOLERS
All children 2 years or older, or those younger than 2 who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car safety seat, should use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer.
Tips:
Tightly install the car seat in the rear seat of the vehicle facing forward
Harness straps / slots should be at or above your child’s shoulders (usually the top set of slots for convertible child safety seats)
Keep the harness straps snug on your child, with the harness clip at armpit level
SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN
All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the child’s 9th birthday or when the vehicle seat belt fits properly. NEVER use a belt positioning booster with lap-only seat belts; they are always to be used with lap and shoulder belts.
Tips:
The booster seat should be used with adult lap and shoulder belt in the rear seat of the vehicle
The shoulder belt should be snug across the child’s chest and rest on the shoulder; NEVER place the strap under the arm or behind your child’s back
The lap belt should rest low across the lap / upper thigh area, not across the stomach
OLDER CHILDREN
When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection. All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection.