When it comes to child passenger safety, car seats are a must-have. They can keep children from sustaining serious, as well as potentially life-threatening injuries, provided that they are installed correctly.
According to the Child Passenger Safety Education Program, 90% of car seats are installed incorrectly. This is an alarming figure, that shows that babies are at high risk of getting injured while riding in a car.
That is why proper installation of a car seat is essential for ensuring the safety of a child passenger. Parents make various mistakes when installing a car seat for their children, and those mistakes can increase the risk of injury. Here are a few tips on proper car seat installation:
Rear-Facing Position is the Safest
To minimize the risk of injury, car seats should be installed in a rear-facing position. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children should remain in a rear-facing car seat at least until the age of 3, or until they reach the weight or height limit of their seat.
This positioning is better and ensures greater safety than a car seat that is faced forwards, because it helps prevent injuries to a child’s head and neck. In the event of a crash, a rear-facing car seat can provide better protection for a child’s head and neck, because it prevents them from being thrown forward.
In addition to that, a car seat should be placed in the middle of the car’s backseat, since it’s the best way to prevent from getting directly hit in case of a side impact.
How to Install a Car Seat Properly
Many vehicles nowadays are equipped with a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system. In a vehicle with a LATCH system, then parents should use it to attach the car seat to the backseat.
The first step is to connect the car seat’s lower anchor attachments to the lower anchors on the backseat, while trying not to leave the straps twisted. If the car seat base can not be moved than 1 inch in any direction, then it is attached properly.
Then, the base should be positioned at the correct recline angle, and in order to make sure that they get the right angle for a given seat, parents should read the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
Finally, the car seat carrier should be attached to the base.
When it comes to securing the child in the seat, it’s important to remember that the harness straps should go through the slots at the child’s shoulders. Then, the harness and the chest clip have to be harnessed, with the chest clip positioned at armpit level.
After doing that, parents should make sure that the strap are snug. They can do the pinch test to check this. If they can pinch the part of the strap that goes over the child’s shoulder, than it means that it’s not tight enough.
Lastly, make sure that the harness trap is not twisted.
Car Seat Laws
As far as laws regarding car seats, all U.S. states require children to be restrained while riding in a car up until a certain age, which varies from one state to another. Most states mandate children to be restrained in a rear-facing seat until they turn 2-3.
Failure to comply with these car seat laws results in a fine, which varies between states, and can be as high as several hundreds dollars in certain parts of the country.