Car Seat Safety

One of the most important jobs you have as a parent is keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle. Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Proper use of car safety seats helps keep children safe. But with so many different car safety seats on the market, it's no wonder many parents find this overwhelming.

The type of seat your child needs depends on several things including your child's size and type of vehicle you have. To be sure your child is using the most appropriate seat, read on.

The right car safety seat

Infants- rear-facing

The American Acadamey of Pediatrics recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. They should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds.

There are 2 types of rear-facing car safety seats: infant-only seats and covertible seats. When children reach the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer of their infant-only seat, they should continue to ride rear-facing in a convertible seat.

Infant-only seats

• Are small and have carrying handles (and sometimes come as part of a stroller system.)
• Are used only for travel (not for positioning outside the vehicle).
• Are used for infants up to 22 to 25 pounds, depending on the model
• May come with a base that can be left in the car. The seat clicks into and out of the base so you don't have to install the seat each time you use it. Parents can buy more than one base for additional vehicles.

Convertible seats (used rear-facing)

• Can be used rear-facing, then "converted" to forward-facing for older children. This means the seat can be used longer by your child. They are bulkier than infant seats, however, and do not come with carrying handles or a separate base.
• Have higher rear-facing weight and height limits than infant-only seats, which make them ideal for bigger babies.
• Have 2 types of harnesses.
   

Installation tips for rear-facing seats

When using a rear-facing seat, keep the following in mind:

• Place the harnesses in your rear-facing seat in slots that are at or below your baby's shoulders.
• Ensure that the harness is snug and that the harness clip is posistioned at the mid-chest level.
• Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehilce.
• Never place a rear-facing car safety in the front seat of a vehicle that has an active front passenger air bag. If the air bag inflates, it will hit the back of the car safety seat, right where your baby's head is, and could cause serious injury or death.
• Be sure you know what kind of seat belts your vehicle has. Some seat belts need locking clips to keep the belt locked into position. Locking clips come with most new car safety seats. If you're not sure, check the owner's manual that came with your vehicle. Locking clips are not needed in most newer vehicles, and some seats have built-in lock-offs to lock the belt.
• If you are using a convertible seat in the rear-facing position, make sure the seat belt is routed through the correct belt path. Check the instructions that came with the car safety seat to be sure.
• If your vehicle was made after 2002, it may come wit the LATCH system, which is used to secure car safety seats.
• Make sure the seat is at the correct angle so your infant's head does not flop forward. Many seats have angle indicators or adjusters that can help prevent this. If your seat does not have an angle adjuster, tilt the car safety seat back by putting a rolled towel or other firm padding (such as a pool noodle) under the base near the point where the back and bottom of the vehicle seat meet.
• Be sure the car safety seat is installed tightly. If you can move the seat at the belt path more than an inch side to side or front to back, it's not tight enough.
• Still having trouble? There may be a certified Child Passenger Safety Techician in your area who can help.

Toddlers and preschoolers - forward-facing

Once your child has reached the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of the seat for rear-facing, she can ride forward-facing in a convertible seat. She should ride in a forward-facing seat with a harness until she outgrows it (usually at around 4 years of age and about 40-80 pounds.)

There are 5 types of care safety restraints that can be used forward-facing.

• Convertible seats - Seats that "convert" from rear-facing to forward-facing seats.
• Forward-facing only - These seats can be used forward-facing with a harness for children who weigh up to 40 to 80 pounds (depending on the model).
• Combination seath with harness - These seats can be used forward-facing with a harness for children who weigh up to 40 to 80 pounds (depending on the model) or without the harness as a booster (up to 80-100 pounds).
• Built-in seats - Some vehicles come with forward-facing seats built in. Weight and height limits vary. Read your vehicle owner's manual or contact the manufacturer for details about how to use these seats.
• Travel vests - These can be worn by children between 20 and 168 pounds and can be an alternative to traditional forward-facing seats. They are useful for when a vehicle has lap-only seat belts in the rear or for children whose weight has exceeded that allowed by car safety seats. These vests may require use of a top tether.

Installation tips for forward-facing seats

Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and that the harness fits the child snugly.

To switch a convertible seat from rear-facing to forward-facing

• Move the shoulder straps to the slots that are at or above your child's shoulders. On some convertible seats, the top harness slots must be used when facing forward. Check the instructions that came with the seat to be sure.
• You may have to adjust the recline angle of the seat. Check the instructions to be sure.
• Make sure the seat belt runs through the forward-facing belt path. When making these changes, alway follow the car safety seat instructions.
• If your vehicle was made after 2002, it should come with the LATCH system, which is used to secure car safety seats.

A tether is a strap that attaches to the top of a car safety seat and to an anchor point in your vehicle (see your vehicle owner's manual to find where the tether anchors are in your vehicle.) Tethers give important extra protection by keeping the car safety seat and the child's head from moving too far forward in a crash or sudden stop. All new cars, minivans, and light trucks have been required to have tether anchors since September 2000. New forward-facing car safety seats come with tethers. For older seats, or if your tether is missing, tether kits are available. Check with the car safety seat manufacturer to find out how you can get tether if you seat does not have one.

School-aged children - booster seats

Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing car safety seats. It is best for children to ride in a set with a harness as long as possible, at least to 4 years of age. If your child outgrows his seat before reaching 4 years of age, consider using a seat with a harness approved for higher weights and heights. A child has outgrown his forward-facing seat when any one of the following is true:

• He reaches the top weight or height allowed for his seat with a harness. (These limits are listed on the seat and also included in the instruction booklet.)
• His shoulders are above the top harness slots.
• His ears have reached the top of the seat.

Booster seats are designed to rase the child up so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. Highback and backless booster seats are available. They do not come with harness straps but are used with the lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way an adult rides. Booster seats should be used until your child can correctly fit in lap and shoulder seat belts. Booster seats typically include a plastic clip or guide to help ensure the correct use of the vehicle lap and shoulder belts. See the instruction booklet that came with the booster seat for directions on how to use the guide or clip.

Installation tips for booster seats

Booster seats must be used with a lap and should belt. When using a booster seat, make sure

• The lap belt lies low and snug across your child's upper thighs.
• The shoulder belt crosses the middle of your child's chest and shoulder.

Older children- seat belts

Seat belts are made for adults. Your child should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly (usually when the child reaches 4'9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age). This means

• The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat.
• The lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly.
• Your child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her knees bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip.

Other points to keep in mind when using set belts include

• Make sure your child does not tuck the shoulder belt under her arm or behind her back. This leaves the upper body unprotected, putting your child at risk of severe injury in a crash or with sudden braking.
• Never allow anyone to "share" seat belts. All passengers must have their own car safety sets or set belts.

Shopping for car safety seats

When shopping for a car safety set, keep the following tips in mind:

• No one seat is the "best" or "safest." The best seat is the one that fits your child's size, is correctly installed, fits well in your vehicle, and is used properly every time you drive.
• Don't decide by price alone. A higher price does not mean the seat is safer or easier to use.
• Avoid used seats if you don't know the seat's history. Never use a car safety seat that - Is too old. Look on the label for the date it was made. Check with the manufacturer to find out how long it recommends using the seat. - Has any visible cracks on it.  - Does not have a label with the date fo the manufacurer and model number. Without these, you cannot check to see if the seat has been recalled. -Does not come with insturctions. You need them to know how to use the seat. -Is missing parts. Used car safety seats often come without important parts. Check with the manufacturer to make sure you cna get the right parts. -Was recalled. You can find out by calling the manufacturer or by contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. 
• Do not use seats that have been in a moderate or severe crash. Seats that were in a minor crash may still be safe to use. The NHTSA considers a crash minor if all of the following are true: - The vehicle could be driven away from the crash. - The vehicle door closest to the car safety seat was not damaged. -No one in the vehicle was injured. - The air bags did not go off. - You can't see any damage to the car safety seat.  If you are unsure, call the manufacturer of the seat.

Installing car safety seats correctly

About front air bags
All new cars come with front air bags. When used with seat belts, air bags work very well to protect teenagers and adults. However, air bags can be very dangerous to children, particularly those riding in rear-facing car safety seats and to preschool and young school-aged children who are not properly restrained. If your vehicle has a front passenger air bag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat. Even in a realatively low-speed crash, the air bag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brian and neck injury and death.

Vehicles with no back seat or a back set that is not made for passengers are not the best choice for traveling with small children. However, the air bag can be turned off in some of these vehicles if the front seat is needed for a child passenger. See your vehicle owner's manual for more information.

About side air bags

Side air bags improve safety for adults in side-impact crashes. Read your vehicle owner's manual for more information about the air bags in your vehicle. Read your car safety seat manual for guidance on placing the seat next to a side air bag.

Latch

LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) is an attachment system for car safety seats. Lower anchors can be used instead of the seat belt to install the seat and may be easier in some cars. the top tether imporves the safety provided by the seat and is important to use for all forward-facing seats.
Vehicles with the LATCH system have anchors located in the back seat. Car safety seats that come with LATCH have attachements that fasten to these anchors. Nearly all passenger vehicles and all car safety seats made on or after September 1, 2002, come with LATCH. However, unless both your vehicle and the car safety seat have the lower anchor system, you will still need to use seat belt to install the car safety seat.

Important reminders

1. Be a good role model. Make sure you always wear your seat belt. This will help your child form a lifelong habit of buckling up.
2. Never leave your child alone in or around cars. Any of the following can happen when a child is left alone in or around a vehicle: - He can die of heat stroke because temperatrues can reach deadly level in minutes. - He can be strangled by power windows, retracting seat belts, sunroofs, or accessories. - He can knock the vehicle into gear, setting it in motion. - He can be backed over when the vehicle backs up. - He can become trapped in the trunk of the vehicle.
3. Always read and follow the manufacturer's instructions. If you do not have the manufacturer's instructions for your car safety seat, write or call the company's customer service department. They will ask you for the model number, name of seat, and date of manufacture. The manufacturer's address and phone number are on the label on the seat. Also be sure to follow the instructions in your vehicle owner's manual about using car safety seats. Some manufacturers' instructions may be available on ther Web sites.

Courtesy of the AAP.
Although the AAP is not a testing or standard-setting oraganization, this guide sets forth the AAP recommendations based on peer-reviewed literature available at the time of its publication, and sets forth some of the factors that parents should consider before selecting and using a care safety seat. 

The information contained in this publication should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of yoru pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances. 

TX DPS Car Seat Safety

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