GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Deb and Ed Krzeminski haven’t had to use a car seat in about 30 years, but now they have a granddaughter and want to make sure she will be as safe as possible in their car.
“Our daughter was born in April 1982 when car seats were first required. They’re a lot different. They’re much tighter. They’re much more secure. They’re more like tanks in the back of your car,” Deb Krzeminski explained.
The Krzeminskis recently went through a safe kids car seat check at the Cutlerville Fire Department to better understand how their specific car seat works in their vehicle. They discovered that in addition to being more secure, the seats these days are also more complicated.
“I’m also a nurse, so I mean to me, safety is huge. Some things medical professionals can fix. They can’t fix a brain injury, and kids are so fragile when they’re so little. I just think it would be a great idea to protect kids for their whole lives. If they’re hurt when they’re little, they’ve got a long life ahead of them,” Deb Krzeminski said.
The Krzeminskis are glad they went through the car seat check. They feel they now have a much better understanding of exactly how to install and use their seat to keep their 20-month-old granddaughter safe.
SAFE KIDS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INSTALLING, USING SEATS
Lawmakers in Lansing are considering a bill that would update car seat safety laws and bring them up-to-par with the recommendations from places like Safe Kids and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Michigan House Bill 4951 would require parents to do the following:
- Keep their child in a rear-facing seat until they are at least 30 pounds or 2 years old;
- Keep a child in a front-facing seat which would have a five-point harness until they are 5 years old or 50 pounds;
- Keep their child in a booster seat until they are 8 years old or at least 57 inches tall and 50 pounds.
One aspect of this bill is educating parents since safety experts say they often see adults who simply don’t realize that they are not using the best practices.