Waterbury Ambulance hosts child car restraint experts at the farmers market 

August 17, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout

At today’s Waterbury Farmers Market, members of Waterbury Ambulance Service will host representatives from the Be Seat Smart Vermont program to share tips on traveling safely in vehicles with child passengers. 

Be Seat Smart Vermont is the Vermont Department of Health’s Child Passenger Safety Program. 

Lindsay Johnson, a Child Passenger Safety Specialist with Waterbury Ambulance Service, shared statistics on the topic, in particular that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that the U.S. has an overall car seat misuse rate of 46%. In addition, the National Digital Car Seat Check Form database reveals that in Vermont 53% of all car seats brought in for inspection to child passenger safety technicians are improperly installed and used. That means that over half of all caregivers make at least one mistake when transporting children between the ages of 0-13, Johnson said. 

Parents and caregivers can get advice today on navigating best practices for transporting babies, toddlers and older children from using infant seats through seatbelts. 

Stop by the Waterbury Ambulance tent from 4 to 7 p.m. to ask questions and  learn about the proper stages of car seat safety, correct car seat installation, and other safety details for transporting children such as when to move from car seat to booster, and when to transition to seat belts. One demo will walk through four stages of car seat safety using multiple types of car seats. 

In addition to today’s event, anyone with questions regarding safely traveling with children can contact Waterbury Ambulance. Reach Johnson with an email to Lindsay.Johnson@waterburyambulance.org.

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