CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Heading into this National Child Passenger Safety Month and Child Passenger Safety Week September 21-though-27, UVA Health found at least six non-compliant child safety seats during its screenings at are inpatient and outpatient centers. UVA Health Nurse Manager Brianna Russell in a recent conference call with reporters said their latest investigation, and outreach effort, began when in a nurse putting a baby into a car seat during a car seat trial they often do found “a few things that didn’t seem correct”.

“So she called another team member in to look at the car seat, and upon discovery, they saw that it was a 3-point harness, not a 5-point harness, which is the standard,” Russell said. “And so that led to bigger investigation and outreach. So we did some communication within UVA Health here in Charlottesville, provided that information to our NICU partners and our outpatient clinics. And then we also connected to our community health partners up in Culpeper and Prince William, and they reported back, similar instances, and so we have been able to identify non-US compliant car seats here in Charlottesville, inpatient. And outpatient, and then up in Culpeper as well.”

They helped those families with getting proper car seats.

UVA Health is now reporting noncompliant car seats to the National Highway Safety and Transportation website for investigation. They are also providing educational sheets about car seat safety to families prenatally, at pediatrician offices, and at the hospital. You can also find NHTSA safety information by clicking here.

Russell said, “These are the items that we noticed were missing on some of these non-compliant car seats. Number one, there has to be a label on the car seat, and there’s very specific wording on it, that states that the child passenger safety device meets all federal motor vehicle safety standards. That’s the number one. And then beyond that, all of our car seats here in the United States have a 5-point harness, which means the straps should go over the child’s shoulders, down over their hips, and come together at a buckle over their crotch in the center. And there should be a chest clip on the center as well that holds the straps together over their chests. And then on the car seat, there should also be a label that states the manufacturer’s name, the date of manufacture, and some height and weight requirements.”

She says most of the car seats found not to be compliant aren’t purchased intentionally. She said many vendors like Amazon or Walmart have third-party sellers that may not be selling U.S. compliant seats.

“Those seats haven’t been crash tested, and so we don’t know the integrity of the car seat, and so we can’t guarantee that a child would be safe in a car accident. So our U.S. compliant car seats have been crash tested, and we know that they can withstand, a collision, and so the, potential harm of using a non-US compliant car seat can be severe injury up to death.”

“We would recommend that you’re shopping at a brick-and-mortar store, or shopping directly on the brand’s website. Once you’ve done your research, and it’s nice to look at those sites to see the options, but then going directly to the brand’s website to shop directly from them is the safest way to make sure you’re getting the right stuff,” Russell said.

Albemarle Firefighter Ben Noble told WINA Morning News that car crashes are one of the leading causes of death for children ages zero-to-14.

“And another unfortunate statistic is nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly.” Noble said.

He said not only are the proper standards required from the manufacturer, it’s a matter of figuring out which seat type and orientation is best for the child, individually based on their height, weight, and developmental level.

Noble said families can have car seats and installation inspected at all Albemarle County fire stations.

“All of our career firefighters are certified child passenger safety technicians, so we actually offer appointments and checks to the public as a service.”

Schedule your child safety seat inspection by calling 434-531-6614, by e-mailing carseats@albemarle.org, or by submitting a request online.