#CarseatFullstop is a national awareness initiative striving to shift the understanding and use of car seats for children in South Africa. Launched in July 2016, the initiative will run year-round with support from the local influencer community and strong family-focused brand sponsors. The core message of #CarseatFullstop is Every child in a car seat. Every time. No matter what. Campaign Creator and Director, Mandy Lee Miller, has been spreading this message on radio, in print media, online and she made an appearance on The Expresso Morning Show launching the campaign on Mandela Day. This presentation was prepared and given at the MamaMagc Baby Expo in Cape Town in October 2016.

1. Every child in a car seat.
Every time.
No matter what.
Mandy Lee Miller
#CarseatFullstop Campaign Creator & Director
2016

2. Every child under 1.5m
tall (10-12 years old)
needs additional support
to be safe in a car
~~~~~
• A seat belt is designed for an
adult male over 1.5m tall
• Its job is to evenly distribute
the crash force over the
strongest parts of the body –
the shoulder, chest and pelvis
• On anybody smaller, it
becomes an additional
danger – sitting across the
vulnerable neck and throat
and the soft belly and
unprotected major organs

3. It is illegal for you to drive with
a child under the age of 3 who
is not in a car seat
~~~~~
Recent observational research
by the Automobile Association
(AA) found that 93% of South
African children in cars who
needed carseats weren’t in
them

4. Car passenger deaths are the 4th
leading cause of unnatural
deaths in children in South Africa
(Medical Research Council).
~~~~~
When a car crashes, the body takes
on the weight of the speed you were
moving multiplied by the actual
weight.
In a crash at 60kmph, your 10 kg
baby takes on the weight of 600kg.
~~~~~
They would be thrown about inside
the vehicle, injuring themselves and
others in the vehicle, before being
ejected

5. An infant seat reduces the
chance of your baby dying
by 71% and a toddler seat
reduces the chance of your
toddler dying by 64%
International research and
practice shows that your child is
5 – 7 times less likely to be killed
or seriously injured in a
rearward-facing facing car seat.

6. 3 Stages of Seats
It is very important that you only
use your seat until the height and
weight limit is reached.
Infant Seat
0 – 13kgs
Toddler Seat
Convertible: 9 – 18kgs
Exclusively rear facing: 9 – 25kgs
Full Back Booster Seat
15kgs – 36kgs

7. Infant Seat
• High side panels, deep shaped seat
for best protection
• How easy is it to install?
• Are the straps non-twist and easy to
adjust, open and close?
• How easy is it to adjust the headrest
and recline position of the seat?
• Is it light to carry and is the carry
handle easy and comfortable to use?
• Is the cover soft, comfortable,
removable and easy to wash?
• Can it be installed with your car's
seat belt ? Can it use ISOFIX?
• Is your car seat belt long enough to
fit the seat safely? Does your car
have ISOFIX?

8. Convertible Toddler Seat
• Rear-faces until between 1 and 2
years old (follow the height and
weight guide on the orange
sticker on the seat).
• The seat then forward faces with
harness until approximately
18kgs
• How easy is it to install?
• Are the straps non-twist and
easy to adjust, not too easy to
open?

9. Convertible Toddler Seat
• Is it easy to adjust the headrest
and strap heights?
• Is the cover soft, comfortable,
removable and easy to wash?
• Can it be installed with your car's
seat belt? Can it use lap belt
alone? Can it use ISOFIX? Does
it use tether belts?
• Does it fit in your car?

10. Rear-Facing Toddler Seat
• Your little one moves up to this seat
once they outgrow the infant seat
height and weight
• Your child remains rear-facing until
they reach 25kgs and exceed the
height limit for the seat (between 4
and 6 years old)
• Rear-facing is 5 – 7 times safer
than forward facing
• It is very important that you ensure
the seat fits properly in your car
• Follow the installation instructions
in the manual carefully

11. Rear-facing seats have been
around since the 1960s in
Europe.
~~~~~
They are based on astronauts
seats: rear-facing to evenly
distribute the force of takeoff
and landing across the entire
back and solid head, as
opposed to just the neck.
It is exactly the same in car
seats. Instead of the vulnerable
underdeveloped neck, the back
and bigger head take the force
of impact.

12. Common Concerns
Where will they put their legs?
Toddler are incredibly flexible. It is
actually more comfortable for them
to rear-face than have their legs
hanging forward.
Won’t their legs be broken in an
accident?
No, there are no recorded cases of
rear-facing leg breaks; they are
however common in forward facing
kids.
What if we are hit from behind?
Your car would move with the
motion of impact, so the force is
dramatically reduced

13. Watch the movement of the body, legs included at the moment of impact

14. Booster Seat
The booster seat is designed to
better position the adult seat belt
on your child to protect their
developing bodies.
The seat should have belt guides
to position the diagonal belt
midway between the shoulder and
the neck, and the lap belt low over
the upper thighs.
The seat should provide side
impact protection for the neck and
head.
You should keep your child in their
harnessed toddler seat until they
exceed the height and weight
requirements of the seat.

15. When is it safe for my child to
use a seat belt alone?
1. The seat belt should sit midway
between shoulder and neck.
2. The lap belt should .sit low
across their upper thighs
3. Their back should be flush with
the back rest of the car seat, with
their bottom firmly where the
back rest and seat meet.
4. While your child is sitting flush
with the back rest, their knees
should only bend past the edge
of the seat and their feet should
be flat on the floor
5. Your child should be able to sit
comfortably in that position,
without moving, for as long as the
car is moving

17. Thank You
http://carseatfullstop.org
support@carseatfullstop.org
/carseatfullstop