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PROTECTING YOUR CHILDREN The most important purchase you will ever make for your child is a child safety seat. It can save your child's life -- even in a fender-bender. Car crashes kill more children in the United States than any other kinds of accidents. Despite the urge to cradle your child in your arms or yield to your child's cries to be unbuckled, the safest spot for your child is in a carefully selected and properly used child safety seat. WHY IS A CAR SEAT IMPORTANT? Each year more than 1,200 children under the age of 13 are killed in cars; about half are under the age of 5. Experts say many children could be saved if they were sitting in safe seats. In a crash, a safe car seat used correctly will help prevent your child from being hurled against the windshield, dashboard or other objects in the car. It will help prevent your child from slamming into other occupants or being thrown from the car. It will also allow the driver to focus on the road and react better to a driving emergency. TYPES OF SEATS INFANT CAR SEATS An infant seat is for the child who weighs up to 20 pounds. These seats face the rear of the car -- never forward -- and can support the child's body and head during a crash. The seat must be secured snugly by the car's seat belt. The harness should be adjusted over the child's shoulders and between the child's legs. If it is provided, the plastic harness clip at armpit level should be used to keep the shoulder straps in place. If the child slouches, the sides of the seat and the space between the crotch and the harness may be padded with rolled up diapers, towels or blankets. If the child is a premature infant who must lie flat, a special car bed may be used. CONVERTIBLE SEATS A convertible seat is for the child who weighs up to 40 pounds. For the child who weighs 20 pounds or less, the seat should face the rear of the car. When the child is heavier than 20 pounds but less than 40 pounds, the seat may face forward. The same safety rules apply for convertible seats as for infant seats: car seat belts should be routed properly and the harness should be kept snug and adjusted as necessary. Shoulder straps should be threaded through the harness slots at or just above the child's shoulders in the forward-facing position. TODDLER SEATS When the child weighs 20 to 40 pounds, a toddler seat may be used. Height and weight requirements are listed in the manufacturer's instructions. BOOSTER SEATS Booster seats are recommended for the child who weighs 40 to 60 pounds and has outgrown regular child safety seats. They are designed to help the child reach the adult seat belts and lack the back and side supports of conventional safety seats. Some booster seats have small shields, but experts question its effectiveness in protecting the child's abdomen. A booster designed to use the rear seat lap/shoulder belt is recommended. The shoulder belt should never cross the child's face or throat and it should always be worn over the shoulder, never tucked under the arm. BUILT-IN CHILD SAFETY SEATS An increasing number of cars are sold with child seats built in to the back seats. Generally these seats can be used for children who weigh 50 to 80 pounds. WHICH WAY SHOULD A CHILD FACE IN THE SEAT? It is best to keep a child facing the back of the car for as long as possible. A rear-facing seat provides better protection because it spreads the force of a crash over the child's entire back -- the strongest part of the body -- and cradles the head. Generally, a child's shoulders, hips and neck are not strong enough to withstand the forces they are subjected to in the forward-facing position. BEWARE OF LAP-ONLY BELTS Although the government now requires new cars to have lap/shoulder belts on non-center seats, there are more than 100 million vehicles still on the road with lap-only belts in the rear seats. This is especially dangerous for children because they are seated primarily in the center of the rear seat. In a crash, lap-only belts can ride up over the pelvis and cause severe abdominal and spinal cord injuries. To retrofit a car with a three-point belt, visit an auto dealer. Kits are available on most cars but vary in price depending on the make or model. 10 STEPS TO SAFETY RECALLS Only about one in five seats that are recalled for a problem are actually returned or repaired. If you have a question whether a seat has been recalled, call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at (800) 424-9393. And if your seat needs to be recalled, make sure it is repaired or replaced! DID YOU KNOW? Crashes aren't the only danger in a car. Children are killed and injured in cars that suddenly stop, swerve or turn. In addition to the dangers inside the car, children are even killed when they fall out of a door or window. REMEMBER Although every state has some type of seat belt law and more children are secured in child safety seats, the number of children in cars who are killed and injured in crashes has actually risen. That means you must take an active role in helping ensure your child's safety. Safety advocates want a national campaign aimed at eliminating dangerous lap-only belts and more stringent enforcement of seat belt performance standards. They also want government officials to determine how many children are killed and injured in crashes involving sport/utility vehicles. These vehicles, popular among families today, handle differently than cars and are more likely to rollover. Finally, if you discover a safety seat hazard, report it immediately to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at (800) 424-9393. |
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