Car Seat Safety and Best Practices

Every parent wants to keep his or her children safe, and in today’s world, that means buckling up and using a car seat or booster seat. It is critical to use the appropriate seats and child restraints whenever your child is in the car.

In Utah, a child who is under the age of eight or who is less than 57 inches tall must be secured in a car seat or booster seat, according to Utah Code Ann. § 41-6a-1803. Additionally, the Utah Department of Health says children should remain in a rear-facing car seat until at least two years of age. After children outgrow their car seat, they should wear a seat belt at all times when in the car.

The law, however, can be an incomplete picture of all the things that you need to do to keep your children safe when riding in their car seats. The following recommendations will enhance your knowledge of car seat safety and may help prevent any injuries if you happen to be involved in an accident while your children are riding in the backseat.

Practicing Car Seat Safety

1. Install the car seat correctly.

Each year thousands of children are injured in car accidents, and the numbers could be much lower. It turns out that at least three out of four car seats are not installed properly and thus not adequately secured to the vehicle seat.

Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for installation. If you are unsure about how to install the car seat or whether or not you did it correctly, you can always have your car seat inspected. Click here to find a car seat inspection station near you. A certified child passenger safety technician will help with your car seat installation.

Always make sure that any other caregivers for your child also know how to safely install your child’s car seat. No matter whose motor vehicle your child is riding in, they should be in the right car seat—even if you’re not going very far.

2. Use the correct car seat for your child.

All children should ride in the backseat until they are at least 13 years old, no matter what the state law says, according to preventinjury.org. The front seat is more dangerous for children. Airbags are not designed for children and can hurt them in the event of a car crash.

Young children should ride in a size-appropriate car seat. Some car seat safety instructions list recommended ages, but it is generally safer to refer to the seat’s height and weight limits. Because your child may be smaller or larger than average, choose a car seat based on their size rather than their age.

Types of car seats:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists four types of car seats for children, along with recommendations and safety tips for each:

  • Rear-facing car seat: Infant seats are rear-facing only seats, while convertible car seats can switch from rear- to forward-facing. Children should ride rear-facing from the newborn stage through the toddler stage.
  • Forward-facing car seats: Combination seats and all-in-one seats can turn from rear- to forward-facing once your child reaches the appropriate size.
  • Booster seats: Booster seats raise a child so that the vehicle’s shoulder belt and lap belt fit the child properly. Booster seats with high backs are ideal for cars without headrests, while backless booster seats are ideal when a headrest is attached to the vehicle’s seat back.
  • Seat belt: You know your child is ready for an adult seat belt when it lays across their upper thighs and fits snugly across the shoulder and chest. It should not rest on the stomach, neck, or face.

Some children who are small for their age may not outgrow the weight and height limits for a booster seat until well into elementary school, and that’s fine—they should not ride with only the vehicle seat belt for protection until the seat belt fits them properly.

3. Keep your child in a rear-facing seat as long as possible.

This recommendation is relatively new, but experts now say that children between the ages of 1 and 3 years should still ride in a rear-facing position. Once your child weighs more than the recommended weight for a rear-facing seat, it is time to let them ride forward-facing, but keep them rear-facing for as long as possible.

4. Older children should use a 5-point harness.

For older children, keep them in a child safety seat with harness straps for as long as possible. Always follow the seat manufacturer’s instructions and the advice of your pediatrician. Once your child has grown to the largest size allowed in the harness seat, you are safe to allow them to ride in a booster seat.

5. Do not buy car seats second-hand.

Children are expensive, and you may feel tempted to use a second-hand car seat. Don’t. Car seats have expiration dates, and you should never use a car seat that has expired. Car seat safety regulations change based on the newest research and the materials are only guaranteed to protect your child until the expiration date.

6. Replace the car seat after a serious accident.

Car seats may lose their ability to keep your child safe if the car seat is damaged in an accident. It may be hard to see car seat damage, so replace the seat after an accident, even if you can’t see visible damage.

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