When it comes to winter in Iowa parents should be aware of how to ensure their child is properly secured in a vehicle while also keeping them warm.

Panora Police Chief Matt Reising says it may have seemed normal for older generations to buckle in their children with coats on, but he says this can be a safety risk for vehicle incidents. Reising says that during a car crash, fluffy padding immediately flattens out from the force, leaving extra space under a harness for a child to slip through the straps and be thrown from the seat, “That gap between the seatbelt, the clothing and their skin we don’t want that. We want the seatbelt secure, I think you just want to be able to barely pinch the seatbelt so it should be fairly tight. So with all that extra being bundled up that can prevent the car seat and seatbelt from working properly. how it’s supposed to.”

Reising recommends that people cover children up with blankets and coats over their restraints to keep them warm. For infants, Reising suggests keeping the carrier portion of the car seat inside your home when not in use, as having it at room temperature will reduce the loss of the child’s internal temperature in a vehicle.