Did you know that car crashes are the number one killer of children aged 1 to 12 years old in the United States? Many of these deaths can be avoided if car seats and booster seats are installed correctly, but a whopping 20% of parents do not even read the installation manual when they install infant and child safety restraint systems in their vehicles.
According to the National Highway Safety Administration, there are five mistakes parents make when using and installing both car seats and booster seats:
1) Wrong harness slot used- Parents often place the harness used to hold a child in the seat either too high or too low. The correct height for the slot is just below the child’s shoulder level.
2) Harness chest clip placed incorrectly- The chest clip is best positioned over the chest, not the abdomen.
3) Loose car seat installation- Parents should follow a “two inch slip rule,” which means that if the seat can move in any direction more than two inches, it is not installed tightly enough.
4) Loose harness- The harnes.s should not give more than two inches. A good rule of thumb is that you should only be able to put about two fingers between your child’s chest and the harness.
5) Improper seat belt placement- The lap belt should be resting on top of the child’s legs, not over their stomach, and the shoulder belt should not be on the child’s face or neck.
Furthermore, children should be in the best seat that fits in the vehicle, based on their age and size and the type of restraint in use. For example, some car seats are designed for smaller vehicles, or even smaller children. They should ride in car seats as long as it is physically possible based on the manufacturer’s height and weight recommendations. Finally, children under the age of 12 should always ride in the back seat.
Here is a downloadable Car Seat Checkup to help you to determine if your car seats and booster seats are correctly installed. This could save the life of your most precious cargo: your little ones.
