Keeping Children Safe in the Car

City Departments Join Forces to Teach Parents How to Properly Install Seats

Despite having strapped in her children's car seats dozens of times over the years, Charline Smith-Johnson, a mother of five, admitted that she was confused as a District employee walked her through the steps of properly installing her 2-year-old twins' seats.

"I'm almost flabbergasted," the D.C. resident said Tuesday as she stared at the newly installed seats. "After having five kids, I've been through the process of getting a seat and having it inspected. But I didn't know a lot of the things I learned today."

City officials hope other parents will learn from Smith-Johnson's experience. As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, several city departments have teamed up to hold events to help parents learn how to properly install child seats.

Smith-Johnson, 35, attended one of the sessions, held at the District Department of Motor Vehicles inspection station at 1001 Half St. SW. She said she has had her children's seats checked by city officials but did not learn how to do it properly herself.

Larry Walker, a DMV inspector who is certified in child car seat installation, walked her through the process of strapping her twins, Zyon and Zyair, into her 1997 Jeep Cherokee. Smith-Johnson, a case manager for the ARCH Training Center, said she knows the twins will be safer now.

"We want to provide information to help parents build confidence in securing their children themselves," Walker said.

According to the District Transportation Department, most parents do not install car seats correctly. The department estimates that more than 80 percent of the car seats in the District are improperly installed, said Karen Gay, a DDOT passenger safety liaison who distributed education pamphlets and gave parents advice at Tuesday's event. Nationally, the U.S. Transportation Department estimates that three out of four car seats are improperly installed.

In response, DDOT, the D.C. DMV, and the District police and fire departments held the sessions. Although this week's events end Friday, car seats can be inspected throughout the year at various locations. Since January, the four D.C. agencies have adjusted and properly installed more than 1,500 seats, Gay said.

"We want parents to take a moment and come out here to have their children's seats checked," Gay said. "Your seat isn't worth a dime if it's not properly installed."

According to Gay and Walker, the most common mistakes include not using child seats, not securing the seat tightly enough, not having the proper seat for a child's weight and height, and having the twisted seat belt straps.

District law requires children 8 and younger to ride in a safety seat. Parents with improperly installed seats can be fined up to $75 and get two points on their driver's licenses.

For Smith-Johnson, who said she discovered that even experienced parents have things to learn, the message is clear: "You can feel like you're a protective parent, but at the end of the day, all you can do is pray and take precaution."

District residents can buy child safety seats through the city Transportation Department for $20 or $30. Parents interested in having their children's car seats inspected can call the department at 202-671-2350 or visit its Web site.