Car Safety and Booster Seats

You may be surprised to learn that being buckled up with a safety belt is not the safest way for many children to ride in a vehicle.  Safety belts are designed for adults, and children under 4'9" tall should ride with a toddler seat or booster seat. Did you know that children moved to seat belts before they are ready for them are four times more likely to suffer serious head injuries during a collision than children in child safety or booster seats?

Infants, on their very first ride, should be in a rear-facing safety seat, located in the back seat of the car. That is the safest place for your precious cargo. They should continue to travel in the rear seat and in the rear-facing position until they are at least one year old AND 20 pounds in weight. However, it is best for him to ride rear-facing until he reaches the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer.

When babies have outgrown their rear-facing infant or convertible seat, it's time for them to sit in a forward-facing position in a seat designed for toddlers, in either their convertible seat, a forward-facing only seat, or in a combination seat that can be used as a forward-facing seat and later as a booster seat.

A booster seat is a child safety seat designed for children who have outgrown toodler seats but are not yet tall enough for safety belts. A booster seat raises a child up so the safety belt fits properly. Booster seats 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.

Click here for a link to General Child Seat Use Information.

Finding a Safe, User-Friendly Safety or Booster Seat

You want to keep your kids safe when they are traveling in a car, but how can you judge what is safe? What child restraint systems work well? And when you find products that will keep your kids safe, will they be too difficult to use properly?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can help you. The NHTSA began its “Ease of Use” ratings for child restraint systems, including booster seats, in 2003. The agency uses a grading system of A, B or C to denote how easy it is to use the safety seats. The top grade is A. Click here to see how the NHTSA rates child restraint systems for a large number of safety seats and boosters.

Where to Get Your Safety Seats Inspected

Once you have a safety system installed in your vehicle, it is a good idea to have the installation inspected, just to be on the safe side. Click here (PDF) to find a list of locations that can inspect your child safety seats.

For more information on this important topic, please visit the child passenger safety section of the SafeKids Worldwide Web site.

Getting Your Preteen Passengers Protected

For parents, keeping their preteen children buckled up takes on its own challenges. However, it is as important as with younger children. The rules are similar -- the backseat is the best placement, and they should have restraints at the proper position. Here are some helpful guides to:

Does Your Preteen's Seat Belt Fit Right?
Five Ways to Get Your Preteen Buckled Up

Is It Hot Outside?

When temperatures are warm outdoors, they will be even hotter inside a closed car. This is true even on a relatively cool summer day. Don't take chances. Never leave children (or animals) unattended in parked vehicles. Temperatures can soar inside a vehicle and those in the car can quickly suffer from heat illness or face the life-threatening problems of heatstroke.

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