Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 18-25, and the Albert Lea Police Department is emphasizing the importance of proper child safety restraint use and the state’s new booster seat law to keep children safe while riding in a vehicle.

According to a news release, 83 percent of child restraints in Minnesota are used incorrectly.

“Parents lead busy lives, but it’s critical not to rush safety for the sake of a schedule,” said officer Tim Harves, child passenger safety technician with the Police Department. “Many may think that car seats are inconvenient, but there isn’t anything more inconvenient than having to bury a child.”

In Minnesota since 2005, a majority — 86 percent — of around 15,000 children ages newborn to 7 that were properly restrained and involved in traffic crashes were not injured, and 12 percent sustained only minor injuries.

Under Minnesota’s new booster seat law, a child cannot ride in a seat belt alone until they turn 8 years of age or reach 4 feet 9 inches tall — whichever comes first. The Albert Lea Police Department recommends keeping a child in a booster seat based on their height rather than their age.

In the last five years in Minnesota, 12 vehicle occupants ages 4 to 7 were killed in crashes, and 2,257 were injured. In the last five years, only 42 percent of all 4 to 7 year olds involved in crashes were properly restrained in a child seat or booster seat. Poor seat belt fit can contribute to serious injury, ejection and death in traffic crashes.

Boosters are for children who have outgrown a forward-facing seat, usually about 40 pounds and age 4. A booster seat lifts a child up so that the seat belt fits them properly.

Harves said a sign that a seat belt does not fit properly and a booster is need is if the child wraps the shoulder belt behind them to avoid the belt rubbing against their neck.

Fines for booster seat nonuse vary, but average around $110 with court fees.

Harves said a major issue with child passenger safety is that parents are not aware of the restraint steps a child should progress through as they age and grow: rear-facing infant seats, forward-facing toddler seats, booster seats and seat belts. He also encouraged parents and caregivers to test their child seats to make sure they are properly installed.

The most common child passenger safety mistakes are the following:

Turning a child from a rear-facing restraint to a forward-facing restraint too soon.

Not securing a restraint tight enough. The restraint should not shift more than one inch side to side or out from the seat.

Not tightening a harness on a child tight enough. If you can pinch harness material, it’s too loose.

Having the retainer clip too high or too low. It should be at the child’s armpit area.

The child is wearing the wrong restraint.

Child passenger safety seat check clinics for parents are offered monthly through Freeborn County Public Health. The clinics give the opportunity to learn how to install a child safety seat and check to see if their seats properly fit their children.

Appointments can be made by contacting Public Health at 377-5100. Harves also takes appointments for seat checks through the Police Department at 377-5671.