I spoke to you earlier today about car seat safety, and some new seats that can help parents make the RIGHT decisions when it comes to the safety of their children, and now I have a post with info from an interview I had this week with Nichole Brown, of the Tangipahoa Child Passenger Safety Assc, who is locally known as 'the car seat lady', and a VERY dedicated volunteer!.
Car seat safety is an issue that even intelligent, well meaning parents can get WRONG, as I showed you in the earlier infographic (previous post), and with varying state laws (you can check your's HERE), can confuse parents even more.
Let's start with the facts:
Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death among children ages one to 19.
Children ages two to five who use safety belts ONLY, prematurely are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury in a crash, than children in safety or booster seats. Even more disturbing is that of the children ages 12 and under who died in vehicle crashes in 2011, 33 percent were unrestrained. Think about those stats for a moment.
And this sobering fact: Four out of five safety seats are used incorrectly,
averaging a startling three mistakes per seat (height, weight and facing direction):
So let's break that down some
(Nichole uses 5 steps, versus the 4 above-you'll see why):
PLACEMENT:
Children under 12 should NEVER be in the front seat (unless an emergency transport)- did you know that the front air bag explodes at 200 mph in most vehicles? if that doesn't scare you enough with the possible head trauma to your child, to make them ride in the back seat, nothing will!
Car seats should always be placed in the 2nd row of seats. Middle position is the best, followed by behind the passenger seat, and then behind the driver. ONLY place a car seat in the middle position, IF the vehicle's seat allow to cover the WIDTH of the car seat, otherwise your seat may totter and not sit properly, see the below picture.
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| TheCarSeatLady.com |
Car seats should not be placed in the 3rd row of seats, if avoidable. The 3rd row seat area is a rear crumple zone for most cars. Newer models have been reinforced to allow for car seats to be placed there, but it is still a dangerous area, if you are hit from behind and a child is back there.
INFANTS/TODDLERS:
Children under the age of two and a half, should always ride in a rear-facing car seat.Most people pick up an Infant-only seat for newborns, due to their coming with the head padding support. This padding around the head is the only one recommended, as it is made to go in the car seat, and is part of the safety protection. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats are other options, as they allow you to keep the same seat in place longer. They can also be faced forward once the child can no longer comfortable sit rear facing.
There is a misunderstanding about older children and rear facing- kids CAN cross their legs, lotus style, while in the seat (see the top post picture above), or place them on the rear seat. Rear facing offers the best protection from neck, face and brain injuries, in young children in car wrecks.
Look at this video before reading on (it's not for the faint of heart), of European car seat testing (why only the left front seat)
TODDLERS/PRESCHOOLERS:
When a child is ready to face forward they should ride in a car safety seat with a five-point harness for as LONG as possible, at least to the age of 4, but preferably to age 6! Most manufacturers are aware of this and making straps long enough to accommodate older children. They should be snug and secured at CHEST level (arm pit level) on your child. If they keep sliding down, you need to adjust the straps behind the car seat itself.
The padded items for your kid to rest their head on? They actually reduce the snugness of the straps, and leave your child susceptible to being flung foward/sideways. This also applies to bulky coats, snowsuits and jackets- remove them before placing your child in their seat, and then put them on backwards over them to keep them warm, if needed. A typical winter jacket can add 4 INCHES to your child's torso. In the event of a crash, those 4 inches, could result in the straps coming OFF your child and their being ejected from the vehicle. Sobering thought isn't it?And speaking of straps- did you know you are ONLY supposed to clean them with WATER (non-submerging). Even a mild detergent can break down the fibers and fire-reatdant, and reduce their strength. Who knew?
PRESCHOOLERS/YOUNG KIDS
Once a child has reached the maximum weight and/ or height limits for a five-point harness, or can no longer be kept comfortably in a 5 point harness (most fit up to 49 inches), they should be placed in a child should be placed in a belt positioning Full Back Booster seat, with a back. These seats should feature side 'wings' around the head, to protect your child's head in case of a crash, as well as offer some side area protection. These help to reduce the amount of whiplash, head trauma, concussion and neck injuries in the event of a wreck,and help to keep your child's head from hitting the side glass or side door of your vehicle..
Note
Backless boosters CAN be used for short term travel, ie in a friends car, or on vacation, for kids over the age of 5. For these younger kids, they are TEMPORARY solutions, that are better than no seat, but NOT made for everyday USE! Yes, the video above had the strap placed incorrectly (over the arm rest, not under), but your child could STILL face that much trauma to their body, if the belt is NOT snug and in the proper place! Also, keep in mind that the inflatable boosters are NOT as large as normal backless boosters, and while good for travel, say on an airplane, should be used minimally.
YOUNGER KIDS:
Once your child out grows a Full Back Booster seat (the top of their ears touch are above the back of the booster), they can be placed in a backless booster seat.This is the one area where kids get hurt a LOT! Seats are NOT made for children under the age of 12, and the seatbelt will NOT stay TIGHT on them, and offer full protection, in case of an accident, until they reach the correct height and weight for a 12 year old. They may complain, put better to hear complaints, than to have them in the hospital for months, because they got flung around like a rag doll. Check out the correct positioning for the shoulder belt:
OLDER CHILDREN/PRETEENS
Children are ready to ride without a booster seat once the seat belt fits properly and snugly against their chest and hip areas..The lap belt should lie securely across their upper thighs, and not the stomach. Also the shoulder belt should not cross the face or neck, and should lie securely across the shoulder and chest. And again, children should remain in the backseat until at least 13 years of age!
ASSISTANCE
Remember, most state troops/law enforcement agencies offer car seat assistance, via special events, and even driving to their local office and asking for assistance! ASKING for help is the key- make sure your car seat is installed correctly,BEFORE you place your child's life literally in it! Or you can go to the NHTSA (national Highway Traffic Safety Admin) website, and locate a tech to help you!
Click and Make a Difference!
In honor of National Child Passenger Safety Month, Graco launched a campaign, “Buckle up for Safety”., on their Facebook page. Graco will donate $1 to Safe Kids Worldwide, to commit to child passenger safety, for every pledge they get on their page! Graco’s goal is to reach $10,000! It takes 1 minute of your time, and all you have to do is make a few clicks with your mouse to pledge! Visit, Buckle Up For Safey, and with a few clicks you can take the pledge to commit to child passenger safety.
1 Pledge = $1, and they are only 4/5ths of the way there!
So I hope you have learned a few things today you didn't know about car seats!
Did you make of the mistakes above?
What are you going to do differently now?
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