According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), car crashes are the leading cause of death among children. To help reduce these fatal statistics, it’s required by law across the country for children to use a car seat while riding in a vehicle.
A normal seat belt does not fit correctly on a small child, making them more dangerous than helpful in the event of a crash.
Having the proper car seat can help keep children safe by using stronger and more efficient restraints designed for their specific height and weight. Here are a few ways to determine which type of car seat is right for your child.
1. Rear-Facing
Your child’s first car seat will face towards the back of the car. Rear-facing car seats help keep the child more restrained. They also limit the motion of the head, which can prevent possible neck injuries.
In an accident, a rear-facing car seat can spread the force from the collision more evenly across the back of the seat and the child.
Recommended Ages: Newborn to at least 2 Years
2. Forward-Facing
It is up to the parent’s discretion to decide the right time to switch to a forward-facing car seat, but it should not be any time before the child is two years old. This will be the seat used longest throughout childhood. Although front-facing now, these seats should still remain in the back of any vehicle.
There are different types of forward-facing car seat restraints but typically, they all use a type of harness to keep children safe in a crash.
Recommended Ages: 2 Years to at least 5 Years
3. Booster Seats
A booster seat is the last car seat a child will have before using a seat belt. Typically, your forward-facing car seat can be transformed into a booster seat when the time comes.
With a booster seat, the child is positioned in such a way that the seat belt fits correctly across the chest, hips and thighs.
Recommended Ages: 5 Years until 12 Years
4. Seat Belts
You will know your child has outgrown the booster seat when a seat belt lies in the middle of their chest and shoulder, rather than the neck and when the lap belt is across the upper thighs, instead of the belly. Once a child grows out of a booster seat, they should still remain in the back of the vehicle.
Recommended Ages: 13 Years+
For more information on child safety, contact Carrier Academy of Learning today!