Prevent Heatstroke Deaths

EIGHT SIMPLE STEPS TO PREVENT HEATSTROKE DEATHS. Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended—even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running, and the air conditioning is on. Make a habit of looking in the vehicle—front and back—before locking the door and walking away. Ask the childcare provider to call if the child doesn’t show up for care as expected. Place your purse or briefcase in the back seat to ensure your child isn't accidentally left in the vehicle. Write a note or place a stuffed animal in the passenger's seat to remind you that a child is in the vehicle. Teach children that a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of a child's reach. If you see a child alone in a locked car, get them out immediately and call 911. A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled. To learn more, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/child-safety.

South Carolina's Child Passenger Restraint Law



South Carolina’s child passenger restraint law requires that:

• Children from birth to 1 year old, or who weigh less than 20 pounds, must be secured in a rear-facing child safety seat.
• Children 1 through 5 years old weighing at least 20 pounds and less than 40 pounds must be restrained in a forward-facing child seat.
• Children 1 through 5 years old weighing 40 to 80 pounds must be secured in a belt-positioning booster seat.
• Children under the age of 6 are not required to be in booster seats if they weigh more than 80 pounds or if they can sit with their backs against the car's seat and bend their legs over the seat edge without slouching.
• Children under 6 may not sit in the front passenger seat. However, this restriction does not apply if the vehicle has no rear passenger seats or if all other rear passenger seats are occupied by children less than 6 years old.

This law does not apply to taxis, church, school and day care buses, or commercial vehicles.


Car Seat Safety Tips from SafeKids:

Seventy-three percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly, so before you hit the road, check your car seat. Certified child passenger safety technicians are able to help or even double check your work.

 

Buy a used car seat only if you know its full crash history. That means you must buy it from someone you know, not from a thrift store or over the Internet. Once a car seat has been in a crash or is expired or broken, it needs to be replaced.

 

We know that when adults wear seat belts, kids wear seat belts. So be a good example and buckle up for every ride. Be sure everyone in the vehicle buckles up, too.

 

Never leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. While it may be tempting to dash out for a quick errand, the temperature inside your car can rise 20 degrees and cause heatstroke in the time it takes for you to run in and out of the store.

Child Safety Seat Inspection

We want to thank Trident Area Safe Kids, Target, Mac Daddy, Charleston FD, SC Highway Patrol and Jaw Enforcement for making this event a success! We hope to do this again very soon so that our children are safe!

Car Seat Inspection Event

Come out September 11, 2015 to Target on Long Grove Dr. to learn how to install your child's car or booster seat. There will be nationally certified technicians on hand to make sure your car seat is properly installed. We have teamed up with Trident Area Safe Kids and the MUSC Children's Hospital to put on this event.

Please call 843-792-5327 if you have any questions about this event.