May 11, 2007 10:53 am US/Eastern
Family First: Children's Car Safety
by Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
There's a new car service in New York City for kids. A lot of parents load their toddlers into cabs where car safety seats are not required, so the kids end up squirming on a lap or restrained with an adult seatbelt.
Topher McGibbon came up with a business that would get more kids buckled up safely, called
Kid Car NY. He sat down with CBS 2's Cindy Hsu to talk about the business.
What sparked the idea for Kid Car NY? I was having brunch on the UWS with friends and we were surrounded by toddlers. At some point I was hit with a piece of waffle thrown by a child at the next table. After the laughter died down, we started talking about how all of these babies had gotten home from the hospital (two of the friends are doctors that trained in Manhattan hospitals). In fact, the original idea for Kid Car NY was simply that- to bring newborns home from the hospital safely.After we learned how many kids were injured every day in taxis, Kid Car NY began to morph into its current form- a car service that provides safe, comfortable, and convenient transport for children and parents in Manhattan by providing specially trained drivers in kid-friendly, luxury minivans with professionally-installed child safety seats.
How does it work?Parents register for the service on our website KidCarNY.com. During the registration process, the parent indicates how many children they have and the type of child safety seat each requires. If they are not sure, the Kid Car Calculator will provide a recommendation based on American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines regarding the child's age and weight. Each time the parent makes a reservation, they indicate which child will be accompanying them. Each Kid Car NY driver is a certified Child Passenger Safety technician and capable of professionally installing the appropriate child safety seat(s) for the passengers. They are also trained to help parents with strollers, packages, and anything else they are carrying so that the focus can be on the child(ren).What's the cost?Membership is $300 per year (currently 50% off the first year), and there is a flat fee of $25 per trip (1-way) anywhere in Manhattan. All charges are billed to the member's credit card and we do not permit tipping (the company provides quarterly bonuses to drivers). This allows the parent's focus to be on their child as they enter and exit the vehicle and parents no longer need to worry about giving the babysitter money for transportation.How are clients using the service?Parents are using the service for any trip that requires a car- pediatric visits, play dates, mommy-and-me classes, etc. The adult passengers are a pretty even split between babysitters and parents.What do parents need to know about child safety seats?Automobile crashes happen. In fact 7 children are injured every day in New York City in taxi-related crashes according to TheCarSeatLady.com, and many of these children were wearing seatbelts.
The good news is that parents are in control: By putting their child in a child safety seat, parents can significantly reduce the risk of injury to their child relative to the use of a seatbelt.
Here are some statistics and laws that parents should be aware of:
• NY State law § 1229-c requires that all children under the age of seven be restrained by a federally approved child safety seat whenever they ride in an automobile
• In New York, this law does not apply to taxis, black cars, or limousines.
• It is worth mentioning for travelers that in California and some other states the parent is liable, regardless of the vehicle, and will be issued a ticket by a police officer.
• Using a child safety seat reduces the need for hospitalization by 59% versus using a seatbelt.In a crash, what can happen to a toddler who is restrained with a seatbelt? The AAP recommends that kids use child safety seat until they are over 4'9" and weigh more than 80-100lbs because at this size, a seatbelt will contact the person at the bony portion of their hips and shoulders.
Children that do not meet this criteria and use seat belts are 4* more likely to suffer serious head trauma or spinal cord injuries. These injuries occur when the seatbelt presses through the soft tissue of the child's belly to their spinal cord.
Here's a video of a child a 30mph crash restrained in a seatbelt: Click here to see video. What is the safest way for a toddler to ride in a taxi if there's no booster or child safety seat?That is like asking a lawyer the "best" way to break the law (in this case NY State law § 1229-c). The reality is that there is no 'safest' way to ride with a child in a taxi (or any vehicle) without a child safety seat. Booster seats reduce the risk of injury by 59 percent versus the use of a seatbelt. Coupled with the number of crashes taxis are involved in on a daily basis, parents should avoid riding in any car unless they have a child safety seat with them that they know how to install. What about Baby Bjorns and other infant carriers?When it comes to infant carriers, Baby Bjorn and other manufacturers never intended for their products to be used in this manner. In a crash, assuming the parent is properly restrained in a shoulder and lap belt, one of two things will occur (again, simple physics):
1. The carrier will shred and the baby will be ejected from the vehicle: Imagine two large adult males (450lbs+) riding in a single baby carrier
Here's the Math: Restraining Force (carrier) = Weight (child) * Speed (vehicle)
2. The parent's shoulder belt will restrain their upper body, but their head will continue forward until striking the top of the infant's head, causing serious head trauma or death.What can parents do to increase the safety of their children? Are there any resources out there for parents?For rides around town, we obviously recommend that parents become members of KidCarNY.com, which supplies the appropriate child safety seat and a helpful driver certified in its installation.
With respect to trips in the parents' own car or in other places, parents can significantly increase the health and safety of their children in 3 easy steps:
Step 1: Learn what type of child safety seat your child needs
· The Kid Car Calculator™
Step 2: Find the right child safety seat
· The BEST child safety seat is the one that fits the child, fits the vehicle, and is used correctly EVERY time: Child Seat Safety Ratings.
Step 3: Visit a local Fitting Station to make sure the seat is installed correctly
· 80% of car and booster seats are not properly installed. Make sure yours is: SeatCheck.org.
Other great resources to learn more about Child Passenger Safety include: www.TheCarseatLady.com. This site has an entire section devoted to traveling in NYC: CHoP is a leader in research on Child Passenger Safety.
Final Thoughts?
While car crashes are the number one killer of children in the US, deaths are just the tip of the iceberg. For every death, there are:
• 10 permanent disabilities
• 45 injuries requiring hospitalization
• 1,100 injures requiring medical attention
As one parent group recently said "the laws of NY may not apply in a taxi, but the laws of physics do." - Please use a child safety seat whenever you ride in a car, regardless of who is driving.
I suggest that every parent watch and contrast the two videos below:
Something every parent should see: Click here to watch this video from GM.
One of the most popular videos (2M views) on YouTube: Click here to watch.
Once again, if you're in Manhattan, visit us at http://www.KidCarNY.com.
E-mail Comments to Cindy Hsu
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