New CR: Chicco NextFit 2

New CR: Cybex Aton 2 2

2013 LATCH Manual 3

Riding Safe & Warm Between Seasons 3

Inside This Issue

Volume VIII Issue I

March 2013 Tech Talk

Remember: • AAP

Recommends: All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat’s manufacturer.

• GTIPI will help

advertise your fitting station or check event. Email us your event details at gtipi@uga.edu

Together we can

make a difference!

Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Harris Blackwood addresses CPST Instructors

The Annual Statewide CPST Instructor Meeting on February 19th featured presen-tations from Recaro, Cybex, Evenflo and Graco. The event, held this year in Marietta, GA at the Cobb Safety Village, showcased some innovative product developments from these four child restraint manufacturing companies. Instructors received valuable information for training techs and families. Dan Furgang from Recaro discussed harness weights up to 90 pounds with the Recaro ProSport. Jeff Durkee from Cybex unveiled a load leg base with the Aton2. Kent New-bright from Evenflo provided updates on the Evenflo SureRide 65 “grant seat.” William Conway from Graco covered features and weight limit expansions across product lines from Graco.

Spring Safety Caravan Announcement APRIL 8-10, 2013 Toombs County

Vidalia, GA For more Information visit: www.gahighwaysafety.org

GOHS Director Blackwood announced the April 8-10 GOHS Traffic Safety Caravan centered around Vidalia in Toombs County. “We want to welcome safety advocates to come help us get the message out in this spring Safety Caravan,” he said. CPST Instructors were also given accolades and a challenge from Director Blackwood. “Keep up the good work saving the lives of Georgia children and educating their par-ents," he said. “Zero deaths is the goal. There is absolutely no way we can stop doing the good work that you are doing until these deaths, which can be prevented, are stopped,” he said.

Special Thanks to these companies for presenting at the 2013

Statewide CPST Instructor Meeting

Statewide CPST Instructor Meeting Andrew Turnage, CPSTI

PAGE 2 MARCH 2013

Cybex Aton™2 Infant Only Andrew Turnage, CPSTI

The Aton™ 2 is the next generation of the original Aton featuring European load leg technology and side impact protection.

The Aton™ 2 Infant Only Seat has:

• Rear-facing weight range from 5-40 pounds • Linear Side Impact Protection • European load leg technology to provide a 48.5% improvement in Head Injury Control criterion • Five available colors • MSRP: ~$249

New Seat: Chicco NextFit™ Convertible Seat Andrew Turnage, CPSTI

The Chicco NextFit™ convertible car seat can be used from 5 to 65 lbs. It of-fers nine recline positions, the most of any convertible seat currently on the market. It also offers six headrest posi-tions and a two-position chest clip. A secure installation of the seat can be ob-tained with either traditional LATCH Connectors or vehicle seat belts. The NextFit™ has a newborn insert to ac-commodate small/preemies starting at 5 pounds and up to 11 pounds. The Chicco NextFit™ also offers dedi-cated storage compartments for LATCH when the lower attachments are not in use. NextFit™ also utilizes SlidePath technology to reposition lower attach-ments from rear-facing to forward-facing without re-threading them. FEATURES: • Convertible child restraint • Newborn insert 5-11lbs • Rear Facing 5lbs to 40lbs • Forward Facing 22lbs to 65lbs

• 9 Recline positions

• 6 Headrest positions

• 2 position chest clip

• SuperCinch LATCH adjuster

• Removable cup holder for convenience

• Retail MSRP ~$279

• www.chiccousa.com/nextfit/features.aspx

DISCLAIMER: Trade and brand names are used only for information, and descriptions are those of the manufacturers. The University of Georgia Cooperative Exten-sion, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences and College of Family & Consumer Sciences, does not guarantee nor warrant published standards on any product mentioned, neither does the use of a trade or brand name imply approval of any product to the exclusion of others which may also be suitable.

MARCH 2013 PAGE 3

Hot Off the Press: 2013 LATCH Manual Ashley Phillips, CPST

manufacturers are revising their lower anchor weight limits to con-sider the weight of CR plus the child under the “65 lb Rule,” this edition will include a “cheat sheet” for cal-culating the child weight limit when CR weight must be considered. The 2013 LATCH Manual costs $37.

The newest edition of the LATCH Manual, published by Safe Ride News, is now available. The 2013 cover is bright orange. The LATCH Manual is a very helpful resource that many CPSTs turn to for guid-ance on the proper use of the LATCH system. This reference book addresses a vari-ety of topics, from the importance of tethers to manufacturer recommenda-tions for anchoring booster seats. In addition to detailed CR manufacturer recommendations for LATCH use, the manual also features thorough vehicle-specific guidelines by make, model, and year. Besides information about the latest CRs and vehicles, the LATCH Man-ual features several retroactive changes to lower anchor and tether weight limits. Since many vehicle

Technicians can earn CEU credit for reading the new LATCH manual. To earn one (1) CEU, CPSTs should use the manual to complete a brief open-book quiz and review details found on the publisher’s website.

For more information visit the

Safe Ride News website:

http://www.saferidenews.com Keep your certification current, visit: http://cert.safekids.org/

Find a CEU Workshop at: http://www.ridesafegeorgia.org/

Riding Safe and Warm Between Seasons Jessica Anderson, CPST

Follow these simple steps to find out if your child’s coat is too big to be worn in a car seat: 1. With a coat on, place the child in the car seat and secure the harness until you can no longer pinch any of the harness webbing with your thumb and forefinger.

2. Unbuckle the harness and remove the child from the car seat, without adjusting the harness length.

3. Take the coat off, place the child back in the seat and buckle the harness, which should still be adjusted as it was when the child was wearing a coat.

4. Again, pinch the harness webbing between your thumb and forefinger, testing for excess slack. If slack exists, the coat could impact correct harness fit in a crash.

Spring is just around the corner, but changing seasons can bring many cold days before winter is completely gone. It’s an important time to discuss with families how to safely transport children and keep them warm. Bulky coats and blankets underneath the harness of a car seat can result in the harness being too loose and less effective in a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns that, “When a child is wearing a thick coat, it's hard to tell if you have a good harness fit, which is crucial. A coat can add a lot of slack, reducing the level of protection for your child in a crash.”

If a child’s coat cannot be worn safely under the harness, consider using a blanket after properly securing them in their seat. Another easy technique is to use the coat as a blanket by turning the coat backward and placing their arms through the arm holes after securing them in the seat.

Lexi is safe and warm

with her coat on backwards after correct harness

adjustments were made.

Photo courtesy of Christina Osborn-Vierra

Need another copy of your CPST card? Go to cert.safekids.org and log in. At the bottom of your profile page, click the link that states

“Click here for Your Wallet Card/Certificate.”

Child Passenger Safety Technician

March 26-29 Vidalia April 9-12 Warner Robins April 23-26 Conyers May 7-10 Valdosta

CPST CEU Workshop

March 12 Conyers March 14 Milledgeville March 21 Savannah June 11 Macon August 1 Conyers

GTIPI Training Dates PAGE 4 MARCH 2013

Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E. Instructor Certification

March 19 Conyers June 18 Conyers May 14 Conyers August 13 Conyers

Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E. Instructor Re-Certification

Webcasts are available online Monthly

CarFit Event Coordinator and Technician Certification

March 25 Vidalia Event Coordinator Certification April 3-4 Conyers Event Coordinator & Technician Certification September 3-5 Conyers Event Coordinator Certification

NHTSA has revised its “4 Steps” recommendations for using child safety seats with new best practice guidelines.

Register online at www.ridesafegeorgia.org

Child Passenger Safety Best Practice Saves Lives

Are you spreading the word?