CINCINNATI -- January 22, 2016: The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions are bracing for a powerful storm that could bring a foot or more of snow, making driving conditions potentially dangerous. It is critical that drivers take precautions to ensure child passengers are correctly strapped into their car seats, which can reduce the risk for injury or death in a crash.

To help families keep children safe, Buckle Up for Life, the national child passenger safety program from Cincinnati Children’s and Toyota, has issued the following must-know winter safety tips. Please feel free to use these tips in your coverage of the blizzard, attributed to Buckle Up for Life.

  1. Be Aware of Travel Warnings and Advisories from Your Local Officials. Know before you go: be sure to stay informed about – and follow – any travel warnings or advisories issued for your area.
  2. Safety-Check Your Child’s Seat Using the Inch Test and the Pinch Test. Pinch the car seat strap near the child’s shoulder; if you can pinch a wrinkle in the fabric, tighten the strap until it is snug. For the Inch Test,” grab the car seat toward the back and bottom and tug from side to side and front to back. If the seat moves more than an inch in either direction, tighten it.
  3. Remove Your Child’s Winter Coat. Before securing your child in their car seat, remove their winter coat. A coat can prevent the harness from fitting correctly. It also could compress in a crash, compromising the seat’s ability to protect your child.
  4. Secure Loose Items in the Car. Make sure all loose items – particularly winter weather essentials such as shovels and ice scrapers – are tightly secured in your vehicle. These objects could become projectiles in the event of a crash.

These tips are part of Buckle Up for Life’s mission to educate families about the proper use of car seats and seat belts and to provide free car seats to families in need. Over the last ten years, Buckle Up for Life has grown to include a network of 14 of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals and has educated more than 23,000 people.