CDOT: Your kid’s winter coat could be a safety risk in the car. Here’s what you need to know

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are sending out a PSA about your kid's winter coat and the impact it could have on their safety in the car.

As temperatures drop, it's more likely kids will be hitting the road with parents in their big puffer jackets, but CDOT says their jackets could interfere with their car restraints.

CDOT says big, puffy winter coats compress in an accident, leaving harness straps too loose to protect your child.

But there's a way you can check to see if the coat is safe in the car seat. Here are instructions, directly quoted from a spokesperson with CDOT:

1.  Put the coat on your child and buckle them into the car seat. Tighten the harness until it passes the “pinch test” — you shouldn’t be able to pinch any excess strap between your thumb and forefinger.
2. Without loosening the harness, remove your child from the seat. Take off their coat, then buckle them back into the seat with the same harness setting.
3. Perform the pinch test again. If you can pinch excess strap, the coat is too bulky to be worn under the harness.

CDOT says parents can use blankets to keep their kids warm, as long as it doesn't cover the entire seat, potentially restricting air flow.

For toddlers and older kids, parents can also buckle their kid in, and then put their jacket on backward.