Buckle Up, Proper Car Seat Safety

Proper car seat safety practices are one of the most important things a parent can do to take care of their children. How important are they exactly?  A brief look at some statistics can be harrowing to any parent. Nationwide, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injuries and deaths for children ages 0-14. According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, properly used car seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. For children 4- to 8-years-old, booster seats reduce injury risk by 45 percent compared to seat belts alone.

Using the proper car seat could save your child's life. With all the different kinds of car seats that are out there it can be confusing for new parents to know which will be best for their children. The fact that children will need different car seats as they grow adds to the confusion. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention has created a chart to help parents know which type of car seat their child needs, and when they should consider getting a new one as their children grow. A great resource for knowing which seat to use can be found here. All you have to do is put in your child’s age, their weight, and their height and it will give you recommendations for which type of seat you should be using. You can then look at different car seat models and compare them to each other to find the seat that will work best for you.

 

There are correct and incorrect ways to install a car seat into a vehicle. Fortunately, there are various resources available to help be sure your child is strapped in safely. If you are feeling unsure about how to install your car seat or what car seat to purchase there is this app called Car Seat Check. This app was created by the American Academy of Pediatrics and only costs $1.99. It gives you advice on how to select the correct car seat to fit your needs and how to properly install it. Another option is to talk to a Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. This document  has the information of all of the local technicians throughout Utah. You can contact them and make an appointment today!

On occasion, a car seat manufacturer will find a flaw in their design and will have to do a recall on the model. You can register to get email alerts from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if your car seat or booster seat has received a recall notice.

Before you leave on your next outing, be sure that your little ones are buckled up safely!