Make car seat safety a part of your Halloween preparations | So Good News

Our 11 News Call For Action team writes a weekly column for our news partner The Gazette. Previous episodes can be found Here.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – If you’re taking your kids or grandkids trick-or-treating for Halloween, we have a safety message from Consumer Reports about dressing up kids in their big costumes. If you are planning to drive your child to Halloween festivities, be sure to start thinking about car seat safety.

“If your child’s clothes are bulky or bulky, it’s a good idea to put them on when they get to their destination so they can make sure that their size and shape are not under their arms,” ​​said Emily Thomas. car safety manager from Consumer Reports. “The reason this is important is that the extra volume and height can increase the slack in the harness and create extra room for the car seat to buckle up in the event of an accident. That extra room means the child can move around in an accident and can get out of the safety of their car seat. “

The best thing to do is to dress them in light clothes on the ground, or change their clothes as soon as you arrive at your destination. Consumer Reports says you can also make or buy clothes that don’t have padding or padding.

“Put them in a dress or something light that they can wear under their dress, so when they get to where they’re going they can dress up and have fun, and on the way there they can be safe and sound,” Tomasi said.

Consumer Reports said Halloween is one of the scariest days of the year for pedestrians, especially children. The group reported that the risk of pedestrian death is 43% higher on Halloween.

“It is important to make sure that your children stay on the side of the road when they are walking in the neighborhood,” said Thomas. “It’s important to make sure they wear some kind of reflective tape or something on their clothes or their lights so people can see, drivers can see easily. The last thing you want them to do is be dressed in the darkest of nights with nothing to give drivers any indication that they are moving. “

If you are driving, be alert and watch for children outside and nearby.

“When you’re driving in different areas, just watch out for the kids when you’re crossing the side streets, that way we can avoid as many injuries as possible,” he added.

You can find safety tips from Consumer Reports at kktv.com. Click on “Find.”

Taste the reason

Also, if you’re looking for a fun event this weekend that also benefits the youth in our community, you might want to consider Forge Evolution’s annual wine tasting. Formerly known as the Teen Court program, Forge Evolution offers youth programs to help young people grow and develop their strengths.

The 15th annual Jewel of a Wine Tasting is 6:30 pm Friday at the Norris Penrose Event Center. Find out more at forgeevolution.org.

Click here to read the original piece on gazette.com.

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