When It Comes To Car Seats, Safety Should Be A Priority

When it comes to auto safety and children, parents should always stay alert especially because motor accidents are still the leading cause of death among children in America.

According to several news agencies, infants and children who are under the age of 10 have frail bodies that could be much more susceptible to injury than adults are. According to several agencies in Canada, more than one-third of children in the country are not placed in car safety seats properly. Research in the United States show that four out of five car seats are not properly installed. Most parents also fail by thinking that once the child outgrows his or her forward-facing restraint seat, they can let the child sit in the car seat while wearing a safety belt. Most parents fail to observe the weight limit and let their children quit using the car safety seats too early, increasing the risk of injuries.

Parents are urged to remember that once the child weighs 40 pounds, they are moved out of a 5-point-harness seat to a booster seat. These devices designed for the child who’s over 40 pounds also come with attached headrest, which can be removed once the child is tall enough to reach the car’s headrest.

Most states in the country require booster seats to be used when the child is at least 8-years-old or when he or she weighs at least 80 pounds. The booster seats are essential because they raise the child up to the height needed to have the seat belt used the way it is designed to be used. The child is safer using a booster seat because the seat belt hits the shoulder. According to safety experts, parents should keep in mind hat certain precautions should be observed in order to make sure that the children being placed in car safety seats or booster seats are absolutely safe.

Experts urge car owners to remember that the seat should always be latched in the car to prevent the device from moving more than one inch in either direction. Any rear-facing car seat should be at a perfect 45-degree angle in the car and the harness should be tight enough to make it impossible for you to pinch the fabric. The child should never be moved to a forward facing seat until the child is at least 1-year-old or weighs about 20 pounds. Most safety advisers now urge parents to wait until the child is 2-years-old until they change to a forward facing seat.

Parents are also urged to read the instructions that come with the car safety seats in order to make sure that the car seat is properly installed and the child is properly restrained.

You can click here to read the full article and learn more about what you can do to make sure that your children are safe.