Safest Places for Children in Cars

In the case of an accident, you want your child to be in the safest place in the car. Unfortunately, the most dangerous place in the car is the point of impact, which is impossible to predict with certainty. Still, there are some basic strategies you should take to keep your child as safe as possible.

  1. In a Safe Car Seat

    • It probably goes without saying that your child is safest in a car seat, but it's important to note that he should be in the right car seat for his size. All car seats have limits on height and weight that you should strictly follow. Car seats also have expiration dates, so you may not be able to use the same car seat for multiple children. Older children often start looking forward to the day when they can stop using a booster seat. Laws vary by state, but generally, a child can stop using a booster when he's at least four-feet-nine-inches and between eight and twelve years of age, according to HealthyChildren.org, the website of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Even so, you should always check the placement of the seat belt on your child. If it doesn't come across his chest like it should, he still needs his booster.

    In the Backseat

    • According to HealthyChildren.org, all children under 13 years of age are safest in the rear seat. These days, many front seats are equipped with air bags placed to safely protect adults. In the case of an accident, this air bag could hit your child, or her car seat, in a way that could cause serious damage and even death. If there are too many children for the back seat, a child in a forward-facing seat with a harness strap is the best choice for the front seat location, according to CarSeat.org.

    In the Center

    • Cars can be hit from any direction. In the back center seat, your child is least likely to suffer harm from an impact collision, according to WebMD. This makes it perhaps the safest choice for locating a car seat if you have a single child, assuming that you can properly install the car seat at the correct angle in this location. Police stations often have car seat technicians that can help you set things up properly.

    Where the Seat Fits Best

    • For proper safety, a car seat should be installed at a particular angle, according to the manufacturer's instructions. In some cases, particularly in compact cars, the position of the driver's or passenger's seat can make this difficult. If the car's driver has long legs, for example, the car seat will probably fit best in the back seat, on the passenger side. If the middle seat in the back has a large hump, the car seat would wiggle and it would be safer to locate it in either of the outboard positions.

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