Archives

2019
Lake Forest Celebrates National Seat Check Saturday (9/18/19)
Consumers Union released findings on four products which reached only the BASIC level of their safety ratings (3/20/19)
Safety Seat Checkup Day at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, Pasadena (3/1/19)
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. in Action Torrance CitiCable! (2/14-21/19)

2018
Child Ejected from Vehicle; Driver Impairment Suspected (5/9/18)
Non-fatal DUI Crashes Can Be Horrific for Kids Riding with Impaired Drivers (4/20/18)
Crash Highlights Dangers to Children Riding with Impaired Drivers – Part II (1/2/18)

2017
Crash Highlights Dangers to Children Riding with Impaired Drivers (11/11/17)
Major State Grant Awarded to Promote the Safety of Child Passengers (11/8/17)
News Release: New Opportunity in Beach Cities to Keep Kids Safe This Summer (6/14/17)
http://ktla.com/2017/01/13/toyotalexus-anchor-tether-program/ (1/13/17)

2016
http://ktla.com/2016/10/07/free-child-car-seat-safety-checks/ (10/7/16)
News Release: Three Children Dead in Holiday-Weekend Tragedies; DUI Suspected (9/7/16)
News Release: Yet Another Tragedy as Child Dies in DUI Crash, Mother Arrested (7/18/16)
News Release: Two Year Old Killed in Likely DUI Crash; Fits Growing Pattern of Female-Involved DUI (5/29/16)
Fatal Crash Again Highlights Problems of Female- Involved DUI. (5/24/16)
Tragedies Leave Two Children Dead, Four Injured, as Child Passenger Safety Week & Major Injury Prevention Conference Begin in the State; DUI suspected. (4/5/16)
Safety Seat Checkup Day, April 9, 2016 (4/1/16)
Safety Seat Checkup at the Petersen Automotive Museum (4/1/16)
Safety Seat Checkup Coming to Pomona (2/18/16)
http://ktla.com/2016/09/09/september-is-national-baby-safety-month/ (9/9/16)

2015
A Question on Vehicle Booster Seats Answered (11/30/15)
Major Step Forward for Safety of California’s Youngest Children; Child Passenger Safety Program Announced (10/26/15)
SAFETY EXPERTS HIGHLIGHT TRAGEDY AS 6-YEAR-OLD ORANGE COUNTY BOY KILLED, BOTH DRIVERS ARRESTED FOR DUI (8/4/15)
Pomona Child Dies in Hot Vehicle; Safety Advocates Call on Parents, Daycare Providers To Act (6/24/15)

2014
Success for Pomona Kids’ Safety Program; Media Demonstration Event 10/22/14 (10/21/14)
Jennifer Lopez Crash Highlights Continuing Risk to Children from DUI Drivers (9/29/14)
Los Angeles Celebrates National Seat Check Saturday (8/25/14)
Traffic Safety Program Targets Summer Risk to Kids (7/26/14)
Safety Seat Checkup at the Petersen Automotive Museum (3/21/14)

Autobytel Videos

Fitting 3 Car Seats Across the Back Seat You just found out baby number three is on the way. As you buckle your older two into their car seats, you look at how much space is available between them and realize, “Uh oh…we’ll never fit another seat back here in a million years!” In the video above, our expert, John Stubbs from Safety Belt Safe, USA, demonstrates the safest configuration for using 3 car seats across the second row of the 2014 Honda Odyssey. This is one of many cars that fit 3 car seats beautifully.
Why Big Kids Still Need Boosters Our visiting expert, John Stubbs of Safety Belt Safe U.S.A., has performed safety checks for thousands of parents and kids and has strong opinions about how kids are pressuring their parents to allow them to bypass using a booster seat. Parents are giving in, but Stubbs explains why this is not a good idea.
How to Install a Booster Car Seat Did you know only one out of ten 8-year-olds are tall enough to not need a booster seat? We tapped the expertise of John Stubbs, a car seat safety expert who trains police officers, social workers, and hospital employees how to check car seats professionally. Stubbs also teaches a class at elementary schools in conjunction with “Boosters Are for Big Kids,” which deals with important safety issues and how they conflict with social pressure parents receive when their bigger kids still need the protection of a booster seat.
How to Install a Front-Facing Combination Car Seat We tapped the expertise of John Stubbs, a car seat safety expert who actually trains police officers, social workers and hospital employees, to learn how to install a front-facing combination car seat. A combination seat combines a harnessed seat for kids over 2-years-old who weigh 20-90 lbs., then the harnesses can be removed to use as a booster seat for kids who weigh 30-120 lbs.
How to Install a Convertible Car Seat Our car seat expert, John Stubbs of Safety Belt Safe U.S.A., tackles the task of installing a convertible car seat. This type of seat converts to both rear and front facing positions.
How to Install a Rear Facing Car Seat Rear-facing car seats are a wise choice for new born babies. John Stubbs, safety expert with Safety Belt Safe USA, says it’s the safest way for babies and toddlers to travel. This is because of the nature of a frontal crash and the lessened impact of the child’s head when not facing forward.
What is the LATCH Child Seat Restraint System? If you’re a parent who has used a car seat for your child, you’ve probably asked the question, “What is LATCH?” The all-capital term was designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as an anchor in the back seats of most cars since September 1, 2002. Dig your fingers into the sides of most back seats and you’ll find the LATCH.
Safety When Children Are Sleeping in a Car Seat Every parent has had the experience of driving a crying child around the block until they fall asleep, and kids sleeping in a car seat is a very common sight. It is important that a child doesn’t slump out of a shoulder belt when they fall asleep.

What is a Booster Seat? Booster seats are for older children. Only 1 in every 10 8-year old children are actually big enough to not use a booster seat so, even if your child thinks that they are too big for a booster seat, they probably aren’t. Boosters are good for keeping the seat belts in the proper placement on a child. Improper placement can cause injuries in a crash. They also address the 5-point safety check that is necessary in determining if a child needs a booster seat, or not.
What is a Combination Car Seat? Combination seats, sometimes called booster high-back seats, are named for their ability to combine front-facing harnessed seating for smaller children and, after taking out the harness, turn into high back and even no-back boosters for bigger kids.
What is a Convertible Car Seat? Depending on the size of the child, convertible car seats can be either rear facing or forward facing . Children should be rear facing until the rear facing limits are met, but as the child grows, the seat can be turned forward facing.
What is a Rear Facing Car Seat? Safety educator and advocate, Stephanie Tombrello, tells Autobytel about rear facing only seats. Many have detachable bases and all have 5-point harnesses. Setting the angle on a rear facing car seat is very important on smaller babies but as they grow older, the seats can often be adjusted to sit more upright.
Different Types of Car Seats There are four major types of car seats. Educator and safety advocate, Stephanie Tombrello, walks us through the kinds of car seats available. The first kind of car seat is the rear facing only seat. This type of car seats always face the rear. The next type of car seats are convertible car seats that can be rear facing until the child has outgrown the limits, and then turns to face forward. Combination car seats are forward facing but can become a booster seat when the child is bigger. Finally there are booster seats and they are for kids about six to 12 years old.
Cars to Keep Your Family Safe Autobytel’s Editor-in-Chief, Michelle Naranjo believes that family cars, like families, come in all shapes and sizes and no one vehicle fits every family. To illustrate that point, Autobytel gathered some of our favorite family vehicles to take a look at the features and technology newer cars offer to families – especially families with children still in car seats.
How to Choose a Car Seat In case you haven’t noticed, there are a LOT of options out there when it comes to car seat shopping. There’s more to knowing how to pick a car seat than you might think. Here, I will take you through the process one step at a time. Follow this advice and you’ll be well on your way to making the absolute best choice for you, your child and your vehicle.
Traveling with a Car Seat on an Airplane The kids are back in school, but before you know it, it will be time to go off on your next family vacation. If you’ll be traveling by plane, there are some special considerations to keep in mind if you will be bringing along kids age 12 and under. Namely: you’ll probably need to bring a car seat. Here’s some advice to make that process go smoothly so that you can all arrive safely and enjoy your trip.
What to Do With Old Car Seats You’re cleaning out your garage and find an old child car seat under a pile of your kids’ other stuff. The seat is gross and likely expired (most car seats are unsafe to use after six years from the date of manufacture, check your manual or the seat itself). Just toss it on the curb on trash day with all the other junk you’re getting rid of, right? Not so fast!
10 Car Seat Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making More than 70% of child safety restraints in the United States are installed or used incorrectly. That’s not a typo: seventy percent. That means, statistically speaking, if you regularly buckle kids into your car, you’re probably doing something wrong. The good news is, once you know better, most of these errors are simple to correct, and usually don’t require buying a new seat or spending any money at all.
10 MORE Car Seat Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making As explained in “10 Car Seat Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making”, nearly three out of four child restraints in the US are installed or used incorrectly. Here I will highlight 10 additional common errors that parents and caregivers make when it comes to car seat safety. Car seats can be complicated; there are so many different ones available and so many different vehicles one could put them into. But once you know better, it’s a lot less daunting to make your car seat, and your child, as safe as possible.
How and Why Rear-Facing Kids Until Age 4 Works Fine As I explained in “10 Car Seat Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making”, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that children remain rear-facing until age two at the absolute minimum. This recommendation is regardless of height or weight, meaning even if your one-year-old is the size of a three-year-old, they should still be rear facing for another year. For children under two, RF is up to 500% safer than forward-facing.