Weekly Health Page Articles: Emergency/Trauma Center

Stay Safe and Secure on the Road

Buckling up and making sure your children are properly restrained should be second nature anytime you climb behind the steering wheel of an automobile. 

"I see numerous cases when I can't help but think, 'What would have happened if this child or adult was properly restrained?'" says Orlando Morejon, MD, trauma surgeon on staff at Saint Francis Medical Center. "The cases of severe, life-altering head and spinal cord injuries and devastating internal organ injuries in this country are astronomical. Many could be prevented."

In general, place children in your vehicle's back seat and:

• Use rear-facing child safety seats for infants under the age of 1 or weighing less than 20 pounds
• Use forward-facing child safety seats for children over the age of 1 weighing 20 to 40 pounds
• Use booster seats to properly position safety belts on children weighing 40 to 80 pounds
• Make sure that any child safety or booster seat is also properly secured

From Weekly Health Page: Sept. 10, 2006