Tips for Car Seat Safety

Using a car seat is the first step in helping to ensure the safety of your child in the car. But just having a car seat is not enough: the car seat must be used, and it must be used properly. Here are some tips to help ensure that your child will be as safe as possible in their car seat.

1. Always be sure to read and understand the manufacturer's recommendations on how to use the car seat properly. Improper car seat usage is the number one reason for car seat failure. Also read the owner's manual for your vehicle concerning the use of car seats. Most owner's manuals have specific instructions for car seat installation and these instructions should always be followed.
2. To maximize the safety of your child, always place the car seat in the rear set of your vehicle, not in the front seat. Ideally, you should place the car set in the middle of the rear seat so that there is maximum protection against intrusion during side-impact collisions.
3. If your car seat must be used in the front seat (perhaps there is no rear seat), only use it if there is no front seat passenger airbag or if the airbag can be disabled. Never use a car seat in the front seat of a vehicle when the passenger-side airbag is enabled.
4. Keep your toddler in their rear-facing car seat for as long as they meet the size and weight requirements for that car seat. It is safer for your child to be facing to the rear.
5. When you put your child in the car seat, make sure that the harness fits snugly and be sure to use the chest strap. The chest strap should sit across the chest as per the manufacturer's instructions. If this strap is too low, you child may not be secure in an accident. If the chest strap is too high, it may crush your child's neck in an accident.
6. Once your child outgrows their car seat, they should use a booster seat until the seat belt fits them properly. This is typically until they are about 80 pounds or 4' 9" tall. Check your vehicle owner's guide for the specifics on your vehicle. When it does fit, the shoulder belt should fit over the shoulders, not the neck, and the lap belt should fir across the hips, not the stomach.
7. Once you think you have your car seat properly installed, have it checked by a certified car seat technician. This can usually be done in minutes at no charge. Check http://www.seatcheck.org/ to find the nearest seat check location to you.
8. Avoid used car seats unless you know the age and history of the car seat. Do not use car seats more than five years old, or car seats that have been involved in an accident. Make sure that used car seats have all of their labels with the manufacturing information, manufacturing date, and model number. Also, make sure that the instructions are available.
9. If your car has the LATCH system for car seats, make sure you get LATCH-compatible car seats. Using the LATCH system makes car seat installation easier, more secure, and it is less likely that the car seats will be installed incorrectly (though the installation should still be checked by a certified car seat technician once it is complete).
10. Check the website for the manufacturer of your car. Many automobile manufacturer's website will list, on a per-model basis, the car seats that they recommend for use in their vehicles.