Baby Safety Alliance’s Joe Colella Highlights Car S.E.A.T. Safety Steps on WJZ Baltimore

During Child Passenger Safety Week, Joe Colella, Director of Child Passenger Safety at the Baby Safety Alliance, joined WJZ Baltimore for a live segment with hosts Sina Gebre-Ab and Tim Williams.

Watch the interview here.

Joe introduced viewers to the Alliance’s new S.E.A.T. Safety Steps, a four-part checklist designed to make car seat safety simple and memorable for families. S.E.A.T. stands for:

• S – Select the Right Car Seat
  Read the labels and instructions for weight, height, and age limits. Keep your child in each stage (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster, and seat belt) for as long as possible before moving to the next.
• E – Ensure Proper Attachment
  A correctly attached car seat should be snug and move less than one inch when pulled at the base. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for installing the seat with Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) or a seat belt, and always use the tether with forward-facing seats.
• A – Adjust the Harness
  Straps should lie flat against your child with no slack. For rear-facing seats, harness straps should be at or below the shoulders. For forward-facing seats, harness straps should be at or above the shoulders.
• T – Technical Help
  Support is available! Families can look up manufacturer customer service contacts through the Car Seat Directory and connect with a certified CPS technician to ensure car seats are installed the right way.

The Baby Safety Alliance encourages families to “check your S.E.A.T. before every ride.” With car crashes remaining a leading cause of injury and death for children, simple steps like these can make a critical difference in keeping kids safe.