Christine Eisenhauer This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Press & Dakotan - Seminar Focuses On Use Of Child Safety Seats 01/31/03

   www.pressanddakotan.com/storie - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/31/2003   Last Visited: 1/31/2003

   Nationally, 95 percent of car seats are improperly installed, said Christine Eisenhauer, RN, BSN.
   
   These problems were addressed this week during a two-day child passenger safety training seminar held in Yankton.
   
   Eisenhauer, course administrator and assistant professor at Mount Marty College, said 13 area professionals, including representatives from the EMS, law enforcement, medical profession and service organizations, attended the session.
   
   The program is part of a $40,000, one-year Wellmark grant used to promote child passenger training and advocacy. The grant is a joint effort of Mount Marty College and Avera Sacred Heart Hospital.
   
   "This is something that is being done nationally," Eisenhauer said. "Yankton County was a little behind. Other counties in South Dakota have already been doing this, so we're catching up, in essence."
   
   This week's class is just the first step in the program.
   
   "With some of the money, we plan to set up a fitting station here at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital," Eisenhauer said. "It will be a place where families can come and either have their existing car seat checked to make sure it is installed correctly or find out if it has been recalled."
   
   Although details of the fitting station are yet to be finalized, Eisenhauer said plans are to perform the public service once a month. Carla Hummel, Yankton Community Child Passenger Safety Coalition chair and director of volunteer services at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, will be instrumental in getting the fitting station opened and staffed, Eisenhauer added.
   ...
   "We also talked about liability issues in transporting children properly," Eisenhauer said. "In South Dakota, the driver of the vehicle is legally responsible for any child under the age of 18 riding in their car. If people knew that, maybe they would make sure they were properly restrained."
   
   Child car-seat use is a primary law in South Dakota which means law enforcement officers can make a traffic stop exclusively for that reason. In Nebraska, it is a secondary law, meaning people can only be ticketed after being stopped for a different offense.
   
   ...
   It's not a generalization -- this age or this size or this weight," Eisenhauer said. "It's specific to each child."
   
   This also goes for each vehicle, Eisenhauer said. "There are some car seats that just won't work in certain vehicles."
   
   ...
   Eisenhauer said the average, affordable car seat is often the easiest one to use correctly.
   
   Another danger comes from "after-market products" such as window clings, mobiles that attach to car seats and head rolls.
   
   "Those are all very big injury hazards. People just don't know that. If it didn't come with the car seat when you bought it, you should not use it," Eisenhauer said.
   
   Children should also ride in the back seat whenever possible, especially when the vehicle is equipped with airbags.