How to Choose a Child Seat
General information and links from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
A more detailed Quick Guide
from NHTSA ( a .pdf posted on Indiana's government website)
American Academy of Pediatricians Car Seat Guide
Is your child under 4'9"? According to NHTSA and others, they are safest in a booster seat.
www.salimandsalimah.org an
child safety website from Oman. This site has some great child seat
videos for Arabic speaking people and will soon have more information in
Arabic.
Safety Seat Ratings
National Highway Traffic Safety ratings:
- Rating for ease of use
Consumers Reports ratings:
- Description of how they do the rating
-
Overall ratings
(If the links above do not work then go to www.consumerreports.org, choose “babies and kids” in the grey zone under the picture, then choose “Child Car Seats”.)
How to USE a Child Safety Seat Correctly
“Are you using it right?”This pamphlet is a great resource to parents!
This pamphlet is a great resource to parents! A Spanish version is
Lo Esta Usando Correctamente?
You can order it (see instructions below) or you can look here for other
information in
spanish.
Order the “Are you using it right?” pamphlet at www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Click on Safety Materials, which is toward the bottom of the left column. Then under Topic choose Child Passenger Safety.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has a group called Trauma-Link that studies child motor vehicle safety. They have some good information on their
multimedia website. A high speed connection is needed for the multimedia portion. All other information is accessible on any speed connection. Common Seat Belt Mistakes Article is available on SafeKids.org. Scroll down the page for good examples of common mistakes
and for their car seat inspection station locator (on the
right side bar). Many informative articles are also located in the Media Center Press Releases.
Special Passengers
Partners for Child Passenger Safety provide information on transporting
premature babies and special need children.
Pregnant Mothers Advocates for Auto Safety During Pregnancy has information on
using a seat belt during pregnancy in several languages - scroll down the page
this link opens for the
information.
Car Seat Inspection - CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
Find an inspection station in your area
Find a seat check event in your
area
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I turn my baby to face forward?
- NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics state that your child should face the rear until they are one year old and weigh 20 lbs of more. Most children will need to move up from a "bucket" type seat to a convertible type seat before they are 1 year old. Convertible seats can face both backward and forward. Read your owner's manual to learn how long your seat can be used.
Many manufacturers state that a larger seat is required when your child's head is 1 inch from the top of the seat. A convertible seat should be used rear facing until the age and weight guidelines are met. If your child's legs are pushed up against the seat back in the convertible seat consult someone certified in seat inspection for help with what to do.
This link to Child Seat Inspection Stations will help you find one in your area.
- Does my child need a booster seat?
- Seat belts are designed to protect adults. The NHTSA (the governmental agency that regulates vehicle safety) recommends that all children under 4' 9" should be in a child safety seat or booster seat. Children who are shorter than 4' 9" are more likely to slip out or be injured by a belt that doesn't fit them properly. A recent study of real-life crashes showed that "the odds of injury were 59% lower for children aged 4 to 7 years in belt positioning boosters than in seat belts".
- When can my child ride safely in the front seat?
- Studies have repeatedly showed that children are safer riding in the back seat (read an article).
An additional concern in today's vehicles is air bags. A frontal air bag that deploys into a rear facing car seat can cause serious injury or death. It might also injure a front seated child. Some vehicles, mostly 2 door pick-ups, have special switches that allow the bag to be turned off. Studies have indicated that in many cases parents forget to use these switches or do not use them appropriately. Read the information from your vehicle manufacturer carefully to learn when to turn off the air bag.
- Why are belts and car seats so important?
- Answer: View these videos of Crash Tests with Unbelted Kids. These videos from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration require the RealPlayer plug-in.
- CPS Side Crash Dummy Video Clip 1 is actually a frontal crash. It is a simulation of a mom and two unbelted kids in a minivan. If this doesn't convince you to at least belt your child, I don't know what will!
- Crash Dummy Video Clip 2 is an older film of a mother holding baby in the front seat. Unfortunately people still do this.
Links
Buying a Safer Car for Child Passengers
is a pdf available on this page
Child transportation safety tips
Report a suspected defect with your seat at the
Office of
Defects Investigation: National Highway Safety
Transportation Administration CarSeat.org This is a link to a group called SafetyBelt Safe U.S.A. It has lots of helpful information for parents and people who want to become child safety advocates. CarSeatData.org This is a link to a car seat database that describes how well specific car seats fit into specific vehicles. The data comes from parents and child passenger safety technicians.
DuPage County Illinois Safe Kids Chapter – lots of good information and parent feedback on using various seats in their cars.
Is your child under 4 feet 9 inches tall?
Watch Videos on child safety and LATCH at
GM's website
Teen Drivers
AAA provides lots of good information for teen drivers and their parents.
Access it
here.
Allstate insurance has launched a series of adds to improve awareness of
teenage fatalities in crashes. They have lots of good information for
teens and parents on their
website.
U R the Spokesperson: a
campaign to encourage teens to speak up when someone isn't driving safely
(supported by SADD, AAA, and the Ad Council).
The
American Academy of Pediatrics also gives some advice to parents and teen
drivers on their website.
Driving Skills for Life on-line program for Teen Drivers
and their parents
I promise program free program for teens and parents
www.ipromiseprogram.com
Brakes for Brett
provides youth speakers who will talk to teenage audiences
about their experience after losing a friend in a high speed
crash.
tween traffic safety
contains information for keeping 8-12 year olds safe in the
car Photos of children in child safety seats
are courtesy of the National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration. |
