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WOMAN ON GPS: In one-half mile, turn left on West Maple Street.
WOMAN: Play with your brother.
GPS: Recalculating.
The child under 4'9" located behind you
should be sitting in a booster seat...
as she is not tall enough to benefit
from the adult lap and shoulder belt.
Also, your car seat is unstable.
What?
GPS: It appears that you did not take the time
to have it checked at a fitting station.
Both of your kids are now at increased risk for injury
in the event of a crash.
When possible, make a U-turn
and head to the nearest shopping center
to purchase a booster seat for your child.
Recalculating.
COLLINS: The Safety Board has studied
the safety of children in cars extensively,
including over 100 accident investigations,
and has found that the best thing parents can do
is make sure their children are in an age-appropriate restraint,
whether they're going to the grocery store
or taking a longer trip to relatives.
The youngest children need to be in a rear-facing seat.
When they outgrow that,
they can transition to a forward-facing seat
with an internal harness.
Next would come a booster seat,
which uses the vehicle's lap-shoulder belts.
Older children need to use booster seats in cars
because the seat belt is designed for an adult.
When they're born,
you put them in products specially made for them --
bathtubs, high chairs.
That doesn't stop just because they're a little older.
Until they fit the seat belt in a car --
which happens when they can sit all the way back,
their knees bend at the right place,
the seat belt hits them on the hips and the chest correctly,
and they can stay that way for the whole ride --
they need to be in a booster seat.
I know it can be confusing.
I know there are a lot of options.
But there are resources available
to help you and your community if you need the help.
As an investigator,
I've seen cases where children were ejected
and seriously injured or killed
because they were not in an age-appropriate restraint.
As a father of four,
that hits very close to the heart for me.
One mistake --
not even a mistake on your part --
somebody else driving on the road,
somebody you don't know --
one second, and the consequences last forever.
These tragedies, these outcomes --
you can prevent them by doing something as simple
as getting a car seat,
making sure it's installed right,
and making sure your child uses it every trip.
Hardest part of my job is talking to families
after there's been an accident and interview them,
and they want to know why,
they want to know what they could have done differently
or what else they could have changed
to prevent this horrible outcome.
And I think by helping parents realize
that keeping their kids safe in the car,
safe as they can be in the proper restraints,
that conversation will never have to take place.
I won't have to go to them after an accident
and look at them and have them ask me, "Why?"
WOMAN: Simple precautions
can sometimes mean the difference
between life and death.