Car Seat Safety Guide
Ensuring that you install your child’s seat properly is very important. An improperly installed seat can significantly raise the risk of injury in an accident. According to the CDC, child restraints are often not used properly. Data shows that parents use almost 60% of car seats and 20% of booster seats in a manner that reduces their effectiveness in preventing injuries.
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Car seats are installed with either the vehicle’s seat belt or the car seat’s restraint system known as LATCH (lower anchors and tethers for children). If you’re not sure how to install your child’s car seat, visit a Certified Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician, who can help you properly install your seat.
Most hospitals have CPS technicians on-site when parents leave the hospital with their newborns. CPS technicians inspect the car seats in new parents’ cars and fix any installing errors before the parents leave with their new babies. Safekids.org also offers valuable links to help you find a CPS technician in your area.
Finally, you must install rear-facing seats in the back seat only. Placing a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with airbags can lead to injury or death in an accident.
Safety Tips
With any type of car seat, you should follow some vital safety tips to increase your child’s safety in the event of an accident, including:
- Dress your child in thin clothes. Bulky clothes can leave the straps too loose and can increase the risk of injury in an accident.
- Make sure your child reclines at the correct angle. Babies need to remain in a semi-reclined position to keep their airways open. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for reclining positions. Adjust the reclining angle as your child grows.
- If your child tends to slump in the car seat, you should attach the seat to a tether anchor, assuming the child meets the size requirements for an anchor.
- No seat is the safest. The safest is whichever fits your child the best.
- A higher price doesn’t mean one car seat is safer than another.
- Never use a car seat that’s subject to a recall, has been involved in an accident, or has visible damage or missing parts. Make sure the seat has the manufacturer’s label so you can check for recalls, which you can check at the NHTSA website.
- Replace your car seat after a crash.
- If you don’t know a seat’s history, don’t use it.
