The Importance of Child Safety Restraints

Parents have so many things to worry about. Some are minor, like deciding when your child is old enough for a play date or whether cereal is a proper breakfast, while some are more serious. Auto safety for kids is something that is incredibly important for parents to think about and handle correctly. Follow all installation instructions for car seats and always keep an eye on the age and weight limits on any automotive restraints.

  1. Why Car Seats Are Important

    • According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, car crashes are the most common cause of death in children between the ages of 4 and 14 years. Being properly buckled in a child safety seat can reduce fatal injuries in a car crash by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers ages 1 to 4. This is why it's extremely important that your child be buckled in while driving, and buckled in correctly.

    Choosing the Right Seat

    • From the time that they are newborns until they weigh 22 to 25 pounds, babies need to be secured in a rear-facing infant seat. If possible, KidsHealth recommends leaving children rear facing until 2 years old. When a child is either 2 or has outgrown the height and weight limits of the rear-facing seat, he can travel in a car seat that faces forward. The weight limits on these seats vary and can be anywhere from 40 to 80 pounds. A child should stay in these seats as long as possible, and then switch to a booster seat only when he no longer fits in the harness for a forward-facing car seat. Rear-facing seats should always be placed in the back seat of the car, not the front seat, and whenever possible ANY safety seat, even forward-facing ones, should be placed in the back seat. Children shouldn't be in the front seat when they are still small enough to fit in a car seat.

    Installing a Seat

    • Read all of the instructions that come with your child's car seat and follow directions carefully for installation. If you feel unsure about your ability to install it properly, call your local baby supply store, or a local police station on the non-emergency line, and ask if they can suggest any car-seat technicians or specially trained officers who can install the car seat for you.

    Laws

    • In addition to the important safety reasons to keep your kids in the proper restraint system, it's also important legally. According to SafeKids.org, every state and Washington. D.C. enforce laws requiring children to be in car seats. The laws and consequences vary by state, but in every single state parents can be ticketed or fined for not having children confined in a proper child safety restraint system. It's vital that parents become familiar with the laws in their state or region regarding child safety seats.

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