National Child Passenger Safety Week: Protecting precious passengers
Sep 10, 2009 5:00 AM
September 12-18 is National Child Passenger Safety Week, and it serves as a reminder of the benefits child safety seats have in protecting young children in the car. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in children ages 2-14. One contributing factor is the improper use of installed child safety seats and even the failure to use one at all. To make sure all young passengers fitted to the appropriate seat and secured properly see these guidelines:
Infants should be in a rear facing seat until at least 1 year old and 20 pounds. But new research shows that they are better protected if they remain rear facing for as long as 23 months.
Once a child outgrows the infant seat, you can move to the convertible seat, which can be used rear-facing, then forward facing until they reach the seat limits.
A child should be in a forward-facing seat with a harness until they reach the height or weight limit typically, from 40-65 lbs and 50 inches. After that, they should ride in a booster seat until the vehicle seat belts fit properly, which means the lap belt lays across the upper thighs, and the shoulder belt lays across the chest. This usually is around age 8 and at 4 feet, 9 inches tall, but will vary for each child. All children under age 13 should ride in the back seat.
Note that seat weight and height limits are listed on every car seat, and most seats have expiration dates molded into the plastic, or the manual will have a recommended usage limit.
In 2007, an estimated 358 children under age 5 were saved from the use of child safety seats and booster seats. To ensure proper installation have your car seat inspected by certified technicians. To find an inspection station near you go to: http:// www.seatcheck.org or http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm. September 12th is National Seat Check Saturday where there will be inspection events nationwide. It is a great opportunity to have your car seats checked to ensure they are properly installed.
For more on child safety see these related reports:
Safe driving with children
Car seat timeline
Car seat Ratings and buying advice
Guide to kids and car safety
—Liza Barth
Infants should be in a rear facing seat until at least 1 year old and 20 pounds. But new research shows that they are better protected if they remain rear facing for as long as 23 months.
Once a child outgrows the infant seat, you can move to the convertible seat, which can be used rear-facing, then forward facing until they reach the seat limits.
A child should be in a forward-facing seat with a harness until they reach the height or weight limit typically, from 40-65 lbs and 50 inches. After that, they should ride in a booster seat until the vehicle seat belts fit properly, which means the lap belt lays across the upper thighs, and the shoulder belt lays across the chest. This usually is around age 8 and at 4 feet, 9 inches tall, but will vary for each child. All children under age 13 should ride in the back seat.
Note that seat weight and height limits are listed on every car seat, and most seats have expiration dates molded into the plastic, or the manual will have a recommended usage limit.
In 2007, an estimated 358 children under age 5 were saved from the use of child safety seats and booster seats. To ensure proper installation have your car seat inspected by certified technicians. To find an inspection station near you go to: http:// www.seatcheck.org or http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm. September 12th is National Seat Check Saturday where there will be inspection events nationwide. It is a great opportunity to have your car seats checked to ensure they are properly installed.
For more on child safety see these related reports:
Safe driving with children
Car seat timeline
Car seat Ratings and buying advice
Guide to kids and car safety
—Liza Barth
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