Car seat safety in the winter

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - As the temperatures are cooling down, it is important for parents to make sure their children are properly safe in their car seats.

As it gets colder outside, experts are reminding you that puffy jackets are extremely dangerous when used in car seats.

The extra space between a child’s jacket and their seat belt could cause a child to be ejected from their seat if they were ever involved in an accident.

“What happens is that in those thick jackets they can be compressed and then you have that space between that seat belt and your son which again is not safe. You want them to be comfortable at all times,” said Cindy Wynia, Safe Kids Program.

If parents are unsure on how they can check if their child’s seat meets safety standards, they can obtain inspections with different organizations that specialize in making sure that car seats are safe for their children.

“Car seat inspections, what we do is work with parents to make sure they feel comfortable installing the seat themselves because we know those car seats move. We show them how to install the car seat correctly,” Wynia said.

Parents can make appointments online for inspections or may attend car seat safety events.

“There are several of us who are more than happy to help with that. We can make appointments to check your car seat. We will be holding car seat events as we can throughout the community and post them when they are available,” Wynia said.

For more information on how to make an appointment, you can contact the city of Amarillo Public Health Department and ask for a safety technician.

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