Car seat safety: Do not make these mistakes!
Did you know that 73% of child safety seats and boosters are not installed properly? Experts tell GeoParent the top mistakes parents make and how to fix them to decrease the chances of your child being injured in a car accident.
By Tracy B. McGinnis
Kim Lybrand and her husband were always worried about whether they had their child’s car seat installed properly. After struggling with adjusting the straps and not getting anywhere with the directions their seat came with, a friend recommended they take their seat over to a police station or fire house where they could make sure it was installed properly.
“I made an appointment at the police station and an officer took me out to the car and explained everything she was doing and talked to me about how to be safe with a child in the car,” said Lybrand.
Lybrand and her family are not alone, according to Safe Kids Worldwide, 73% of child safety seats and booster seats are used improperly.
THE TOP MISTAKES
Brooks Watson, co-founder of Safety Squad, finds misuse rates of car seats well over 90% and encourages parents to seek out help from certified passenger safety technicians. “Most parents don’t achieve adequate seat tightness,” explains Watson. “Then they don’t secure their children in correctly in the harness.”
Corporal Eric Wynn of the Colorado Child Passenger Safety (CPS) team says one common mistake parents make includes incorrectly positioning the shoulder and lap portion of the child safety seat. “The lap portion needs to be put across the child’s pelvis not their stomach,” says Wynn. “And the shoulder portion should be across the shoulder, unlike the common mistake of putting the shoulder portion behind the child safety seat.”
MAKING THE SWITCH: FORWARD FACING AND BOOSTER SEATS
Dr. Laura Jana is a pediatrician and leading national expert on child safety and development and says it’s what parents aren’t doing that’s endangering the safety of young passengers. “Parents don’t read their car and car seat manuals or visit manufacturers web sites for instructions. Companies like Britax provide installation videos online.” Jana also says parents don’t take the time to research what to look for when shopping for a car seat.
When it comes to moving out of a five-point harness or switching to a forward facing seat Jana says parents are making the move too soon. The current standard recommendation is to keep your infant rear facing in his car seat until he weighs 20 pounds AND has reached one year of age. Jana says parents should consider keeping their child rear facing longer. “There are seats on the market that allow rear facing up to 35 pounds and keep children in a 5-point harness all the way up to 80 pounds once they are forward facing,” explains Jana. “Parents should use these features as long as possible within the limits of the seat.”
CAR SEAT SAFETY TIPS
Jennifer Huebner, manager of AAA National Traffic Safety Programs and a certified child passenger safety instructor mentor and a leading expert on child safety in the U.S. says her top 3 most common mistakes regarding car seats include: not installing the seat tight enough, harness straps that are too loose or threaded incorrectly and having a harness clip that is not at the correct level.
Huebner offers these quick tips for safety:
• All children 12 and under should ride in the back seat out of harm from front air bags.
• Harness straps should not be twisted or threaded through the incorrect slots. You should not be able to pinch any slack at the child’s shoulders, but also should not be too tight indenting into the child’s skin.
• Never place a rear-facing seat where a frontal air bag is present.
• Choose the correct seat for your child’s age, weight, height and physical tolerance.
• Install the seat at the proper direction and angle and make sure it does not move more than 1 inch in any direction when testing it at the belt path.
• Harnesses should be adjusted at the proper location – at or below the shoulders for rear facing and at or above the shoulders for forward facing.
• The harnesses should be snug and have the retainer clip at armpit level across the child’s sternum. Any lower and it may cause abdominal injury or allow the harnesses to slip off the child’s shoulders, any higher and it can possibly cause neck injury or choking.
• A child should ride rear-facing until they are older than 1 year and reach the upper weight limits of their rear-facing convertible seat.
• Children can ride forward facing once they have outgrown their rear facing convertible. They should remain in harnesses until they reach the upper weight limits and then move to a booster seat.
• Children should use a booster seat until the adult lap/shoulder belt fits them properly.
• Buckle up on every trip!
Visit some of these sites for additional tips and information:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
American Academy of Pediatrics – Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2008
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