News

News

Motorcoach Safety: Agency Provides Guidance For Booking a Safer Trip

A motorcoach is a large, non-school bus that does not serve fixed routes (like city transit), but instead travels longer distances, usually on highways.  While motorcoaches have a relatively good safety record compared to most other vehicle types, they do not have many of the safety features required of school buses.  Nonetheless, groups of children frequently use these types of buses for field trips and sports outings, especially when the trip covers long distances.

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School Bus Evacuation of Students in CSRS Requires Planning, Training

At the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Preschoolers (TSD) Conference in March, Charley Kennington, of Innovative Transportation Solutions, and Kathy Furneaux, of the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute, discussed an important aspect of transporting groups of children: having a plan for how to get all students off the vehicle quickly in an emergency. When a school bus carries children who ride restrained in five-point harnesses, you can readily see how important it is to practice and prepare for emergency evacuation. In fact, knowing how a child would be evacuated in an emergency should be considered as important as learning how the CSRS is installed.

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NHTSA Proposes Changes to Improve LATCH

Can regulatory amendments help LATCH meet its full potential?

On January 23, NHTSA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding updates it plans for FMVSS 225 and 213 in order to improve the usability of the LATCH system. This NPRM is an important step toward improving ease of use and accessibility of lower and tether anchors, a topic that hasn’t been addressed through regulation since LATCH was initially introduced 15 years ago. It outlines some basic proposals for new regulations from NHTSA and seeks comment on the necessity of further regulation.

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What CPSTs, Caregivers Should Know About European Belt Routing

European belt routing for rear-facing CRs is not new here in the U.S. For many years there have been at least a few RF-only models with this installation option.  However, with growing global influence in the CR marketplace, models with this option have been on the rise in recent years. This article takes a closer look at this installation method.

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Children in Aircraft

“We are flying to my mother’s, and I see that I can carry my 1-year-old on my lap, which will save us a lot of money . . .”

The temptation to save money by having a child under age 2 ride on a parent’s lap presents a common dilemma for families.  Adding to the confusion is the fact that airlines and the FAA seem to condone the unsafe behavior and that most people figure a plane crash cannot be survived, with or without a CR.

The truth is that all passengers, including young children, are safer when buckled up on an airplane. Although the FAA concluded in August 2005 that it would not require families to purchase a seat for children under age 2, the rationale was data (since convincingly refuted) showing that families would prefer to drive (generally more risky) if they otherwise would have to purchase a plane ticket for the child.

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Children in RVs

“We are planning a big cross-country tour this summer and figure it would make sense to rent an RV for this adventure . . .”

Often, even parents who normally are careful to use a CR for their children for every ride imagine that the interior of a recreational vehicle (RV, or motor home) is somehow a magical zone where the laws of physics do not apply.  Caregivers need to know that an RV may not be safe for children.

Children still need to be buckled up appropriately any time they are riding in a vehicle, and this can be a real challenge in an RV.  RVs come in a range of style classes (A, B, C, C+, etc.) and, although these do vary in appropriateness for families, none is ideal.

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Children in Taxis

“We are visiting a large city, so we will be using taxis rather than a rental car . . .”

A 2006 study using 2004 data found that, in New York City alone, there were 25 taxi/livery crashes every day that caused injury. That study also found that when taxis were involved in a crash, the taxi passengers were nearly 2.5 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than the passengers in the other vehicle in the crash.

So, best practice in taxis (and, in some states, the law) is to use a CR.  Dr. Alisa Baer, pediatrician and cofounder of The Car Seat Lady, posts excellent advice on this subject at www.thecarseatlady.com.

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