At a crash, first responders have to act quick and need to have accurate information about those involved.
To ensure children are provided critical care during these emergencies, the Office of Highway Safety Planning has updated the kid’s identification sticker for car seats for when occupants cannot provide needed details.
The stickers have been used for more than 20 years for first responders to have an easy and effective way to receive details on a child during an emergency. The sticker provides immediate access to vital facts about a child passenger if injured caregivers, or the child, are unable to do so.
The updated sticker includes a space for the child’s name, and larger fields for medical information and allergies. There is also additional space to list parents or guardians, the child’s physician and the name and phone number of an emergency contact.
The new sticker also comes with a flap that offers privacy and protects the information from fading.
“This sticker is a great item in any child safety advocate’s toolkit,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. “Michigan has a network of more than 1,000 Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians who regularly meet with parents and caregivers to educate them about proper car seat use.”
This week, Sept. 18 to the 24, is Child Passenger Safety Week. The national initiative raises awareness about car seat use and encourages parents and caregivers to have their children’s car seats inspected by a certified CPS technician.
“During Child Passenger Safety Week, take time to get your car seat checked out,” said Jennifer Hoekstra, injury prevention specialist at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “Learning how to properly install your car seat can be a life-saving lesson for you and your entire family.”
Children must be properly buckled in a car seat or booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall. Children younger than age 4 must ride in a car seat in the back seat if a vehicle has a back seat. Babies and toddlers should ride rear-facing until at least age 2 or the upper weight or height limit of the seat.
