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Home > Safety Tips > Car
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Why should I use child safety seats and safety belts? What is the safest way to transport my child in a vehicle? What should I know about installing my child's safety seat? Why should I be concerned about using second hand seats? Why do child safety seats need to be replaced after a crash? Where can I receive more child safety seat information? I'd like to help! How can I become a child passenger safety technician? Which child safety seat is the safest? When can I turn my infant forward facing? My son's feet are touching the back of the vehicle seat. Should I turn him to face front now? Are convertible child safety seats with tray shields, rather than five-point harnesses, safe? How will I know when my child has outgrown his forward-facing child safety seat? Why do you recommend booster seats for children up to age 8? How do I know when my child is ready to graduate from a booster seat to a safety belt alone? Should I buy a used child safety seat? Are integrated child safety seats as safe as those bought separately? My child has special needs. Which is the best child safety seat for him? I have more kids than I have room in the back seat. What should I do? Is my child safer in the seat behind the driver or behind the front-seat passenger? How can I be sure my child's safety seat is installed correctly? How do I know if I need a locking clip to install my child safety seat? My daughter's child safety seat leans slightly to one side when installed tightly. Is this safe? What can I do if there are only lap belts in my back seat? Where can I find a low-cost or free child safety seat? My 3-year-old simply will not stay in his/her child safety seat. What can I do? What do I need to know about transporting our children safely in our pickup truck? There are no safety belts on my children's school buses! Isn't that unsafe? What should I know about children and frontal air bags? What if my car has side impact air bags? We're considering buying a new car. Can you recommend a safe one? What is the safest way for me to bring my children on an airplane? Why should I use child safety seats and safety belts? What is the safest way to transport my child in a vehicle seat? What should I know about installing my child's safety seat? Hundreds of child safety seat models are in use, and there are dozens of vehicle safety belt configurations and other anchoring systems. As a result, there are actually thousands of potential combinations, making correct safety seat installation. Why should I be concerned about using second hand seats? Q. Why do child safety seats need to be replaced after a crash? Q. Where can I receive more child safety seat information? Q. I'd like to help! How can I become a child passenger safety technician? Even if you cannot invest the time right now to become a certified technician (typically 4 to 5 days), you can still help protect kids in your community from injury by volunteering with your local Safe Kids coalition. In addition to being able to help you find local child passenger safety trainings, our coalitions are active in a wide range of child injury prevention activities. They will welcome your help! A tool to help you locate your nearest Safe Kids coalition can be found at www.usa.safekids.org. If there is no coalition near you, be sure to contact your state coalition.
Q. Which child safety seat is the safest? There is not yet a credible rating system for child safety seats in place. Since all current child safety seats must meet the same standards, you may want to visit a store with a wide variety of child safety seats and ask the manager if he/she will let you install the store's display models in your car. Most stores are fairly receptive to the idea of bringing one model at a time to your vehicle. Ask these three questions about each model you consider: You may also want to speak with a child passenger safety technician in your area. Find one by contacting your local Safe Kids coalition. A tool to help you locate your nearest Safe Kids coalition can be found at www.usa.safekids.org. If there is no coalition near you, contact the state coalition listed.
Q. When can I turn my infant forward facing? The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently revised their recommendations to say that children should ride in rear-facing child safety seats as long as possible. They also maintain that children should be a MINIMUM of 12 months old AND weigh at least 20 pounds before they face the front of the vehicle. Until that time, their bones and ligaments are not developed enough to withstand forward-facing crash forces. The rear-facing position reduces the risk of spinal cord injury in a frontal collision, since the safety seat's shell supports the neck and spreads crash forces across the entire back. Most infant-only seats have a limit of 20 or 22 pounds, but most current convertible safety seats have rear-facing limits of 30 pounds or more. These seats provide better protection for children, even beyond their first birthdays. Q. My son's feet are touching the back of the vehicle seat. Should I turn him to face front now? All manufacturers are required to include overall height and weight limits in their instructions. Since sitting height is more important to crash protection than overall height, and children's body proportions vary, some manufacturers also include wording like "the top of the head should be at least an inch below the top of the safety seat" for their rear-facing models. We recommend visiting a store with a wide selection, looking at the instructions for various models, placing your child in the display seats, and even asking the manager to let you try installing the display models in your vehicle. This process would ensure that the model fits your child and your vehicle, as well as that you are comfortable using it correctly on every ride. Q. Are convertible child safety seats with tray shields, rather than five-point harnesses, safe? In seats with tray shields, the potential for head contact and/or poor harness fit for smaller children has been expressed by experts for quite some time. Most feel that a five-point harness is the best solution for both concerns. At the same time, the overhead shield versions DO meet the necessary safety standards. Q. How will I know when my child has outgrown his forward-facing child safety seat? Trained child passenger safety advocates look for three characteristics when determining whether a child has outgrown a forward-facing child safety seat. Most child safety seats also have a maximum height limit; it should be noted in the seat instructions. It is given as overall height, but sitting height is even more important. Consult and follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific model. If your child has exceeded any of these weight or height characteristics, a new child safety seat is in order. Depending on your child’s age and size, you could: In general we recommend using harnesses as long as possible before “graduating” to belt-positioning booster seats. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing and using whatever safety seat you choose. Q. Why do you recommend booster seats for children up to age 8? While most families are used to the idea of keeping kids in safety seats until they are around 4 years old, many are not aware that children need safety seats much longer than that. Vehicle safety belts are designed to protect adults and older children, and they must fit correctly to provide that function. Looking at current vehicle designs, child growth patterns/charts, and general lessons learned through observation, many advocates have concluded that vehicle safety belts don't fit until kids are 8, 9, 10 or even 11 years old. As a result of this fact, combined with the fact that boosters are not yet widely used, we see a great number of serious (and fatal) injuries to children. Internal organ and spinal column injuries often result from improper belt fit. Depending on your child's height and weight, you have a few options: Q. How do I know when my child is ready to graduate from a booster seat to a safety belt alone? Children should ride in boosters until the vehicle safety belts fit correctly. To determine if a child needs a booster seat, follow the steps for the Safety Belt Fit Test: Q. Should I buy a used child safety seat? The Safe Kids Worldwide does not recommend used child safety seats, because you may not know if the seat has been correctly maintained or involved in a crash. Once a seat has been in a crash, it must be replaced. Other reasons: We understand that money is sometimes a concern, but in this case new is the safest way to go. Find free or low-costs child safety seats. Q. Are integrated child safety seats as safe as those bought separately? Integrated child safety seats (seats that are built into in a new vehicle) must meet the same performance standards as add-on seats. The main difference is that parents/caregivers can avoid the often difficult installation process. Obviously, integrated seats cannot be turned rear-facing, so your child should be at least 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds before using them. If you do choose a vehicle with integrated safety seats, you may want to consider having an add-on child safety seat available for when your child travels in other vehicles. Q. My child has special needs. Which is the best child safety seat for him? The best child safety seat for your child depends on his/her specific physical needs. In some cases, a conventional seat would work. In others, a seat that offers more support and adjustability may be necessary. Some "special needs" manufacturers and their products can be found at www.snugseat.com, www.columbiamedical.com, www.britaxusa.com and www.ezonpro.com. Looking at what products are available might help to determine what is best, but involving your healthcare professional critical. You may also benefit from consulting a specialist in transporting children with special health care needs.
Q. I have more kids than I have room in the back seat. What should I do? Currently, the accepted recommendation is that children ages 12 and under (also worded as “under 13”) should ride in the back seat. In cases where it is absolutely impossible for all children ages 12 and under to ride in the back seat, tough decisions need to be made. In general, the child who can be kept furthest from an air bag is the best choice for front seat placement. You should consult your vehicle manufacturer for advice on disabling air bags if a child under 13 will ride in an air bag-equipped position. Rear-facing infants can NEVER be placed in seating positions with active frontal air bags. Please visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov for a list of facilities that can deactivate air bags. Q. What's the safest place in the back seat for two children of different ages to ride? Selecting the best seating positions for your children is not simple. Some say to put the infant on the outside, since he/she has the additional protection of a rear-facing shell. Others say to put the infant in the middle because he/she is the most fragile. Still others say that having an infant in the middle makes securing him/her more difficult because of access issues. The specific dynamics of any given crash situation also affect the answer. The long and the short of it is that all children should be properly restrained. You need to consider your own special circumstances and use your best judgment for placement decisions. Q. Is my child safer in the seat behind the driver or behind the front-seat passenger? As long as a child can be correctly restrained in the rear center position, we generally recommend it. That position is insulated from all crash angles, so it is usually thought of as safest. The right and left rear seats are similar in relative, based on fatal crash statistics. When selecting between them, some considerations might include the height of the driver, curbside parking, the availability of a door, access to other seating positions, the safety of all other passengers, whether the child needs to be monitored, driver distractions, etc. The final decision must be made by parents and caregivers. Side-impact air bags can provide a friendlier vehicle interior and enhance protection against an intruding vehicle, hard interior surfaces and/or breaking glass. Side air bags are currently not required, and their designs vary greatly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and auto manufacturers have determined that some side-impact air bags can present a danger to out-of-position children. Because designs vary, however, NHTSA recommends that manufacturers notify consumers regarding whether it is safe for children to sit in positions equipped with side-impact air bags. NHTSA also recommends that manufacturers of vehicles with side-impact air bags in rear seats ship vehicles to dealers with inactive rear bags that can be activated by a dealer, upon consumer request. They suggest that manufacturers allow consumers with children who are likely to be out of position to have the option of deactivating side-impact air bags in rear seating positions. The bottom line: contact the specific vehicle's manufacturer for advice
Q. How can I be sure my child's safety seat is installed correctly? Start with our Child Safety Seat Guide, to be sure you’re using the correct seat for your child’s age and weight. At the very top of our Web page www.usa.safekids.org in the red banner, you will see "Child Safety Seat Guide." Click on this and choose the age and weight of your child. Click on Go. A detailed list of tips will follow. Next, read both the seat manufacturer's instructions and your vehicle owner’s manual carefully. These will get you started on installing your seat correctly. Then, check for a snug fit. In general, a correctly installed child safety seat should not move more than 1 inch side to side or forward, when pulled at the safety belt path. If you need additional help, consider attending a Safe Kids Buckle Up Car Seat Check Up or Child Safety Seat Inspection Station near you. A certified technician at one of these events will check your seat for proper function, installation and recalls. He or she will then teach you how to correct any errors, so you can be sure your child is protected on every ride! Our home page www.usa.safekids.org contains a tool to help you find a Car Seat Check Up or Child Safety Seat Inspection Station near you. The listings are by state. If there isn't an event listed close to you please call your local Safe Kids coalition about additional resources. If there isn't a coalition close to you, please contact the state coalition (at the top of the list) about available resources. To find a nationwide list of events, click on the words "complete listing of Safe Kids Buckle Up events." Q. How do I know if I need a locking clip to install my child safety seat? Locking clips are rarely necessary for vehicles manufactured in 1996 or later. The vehicle owner's manuals and instruction manuals for child safety seats should explain how to lock the safety seats in place using the systems built into your vehicle. If you don't have those instructions, the manufacturers can provide you with duplicate copies. You can also contact your local Safe Kids coalition www.usa.safekids.org to learn about opportunities for hands-on assistance. If you find that you do need a locking clip, you can usually find one attached to your child safety seat. You can also purchase a locking clip at a retail store that carries child safety seats (Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc.) or order them from the safety seat manufacturer. Most combination seats allow children from 30-40 pounds to be protected by either the internal harnesses or the belt-positioning booster mode. Children who weigh more than 40 pounds MUST ride in the belt-positioning booster mode with most models. The main benefits to using a five-point harness for children who weigh 30-40 pounds are: As always, we strongly recommend reading and following the manufacturers’ instructions for both the child safety seat and the vehicle. Q. My daughter's child safety seat leans slightly to one side when installed tightly. Is this safe? The "leaning" is likely to be caused by the hard latch plate or buckle pressing on one side of the child safety seat, with soft seat belt webbing (fabric) on the other. To determine its safety, you should contact the child safety seat and vehicle manufacturers. In the meantime, you have a few options: Q. What are top tethers used for? Top tethers are used to improve the performance of forward facing child safety seats. In addition to the lower child restraint anchorage provided by a correctly tightened and locked safety belt (or lower LATCH anchors), tethers provide an anchoring system for the top of the child restraint. Current child restraint models (and models manufactured after 7/85) must meet a 32” head excursion standard without the use of a top tether. When installed and tightened correctly, however, these devices can reduce head excursion in frontal crashes to the new 28” standard. They can also increase safety seat stability in side impacts or rollovers, and can assist parents in overcoming some vehicle/child restraint compatibility issues. Although conventional child restraints are reasonably safe without the use of top tethers, parents/caregivers should be encouraged to use this anchoring system, if it is available for their child restraint and vehicle models.
Q. What can I do if there are only lap belts in my back seat? Vehicles were not required to have rear seat shoulder belts until model year 1990, and many current models do not have shoulder belts in rear center seating positions. Since belt positioning boosters can only be used with both lap and shoulder belts, properly restraining children who weigh more than 40 pounds in these seating positions can require extra effort. Some options are: Shield booster: These devices were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, when most vehicles had only lap belts in rear seats. The intent was to enhance upper body restraint for children who had outgrown their convertible safety seats. Changes to the federal standards in 1996 caused most shield boosters to be removed from the U.S. market, since current shield have a weight range of 30-40 pounds. While manufacturers may recommend the use of shield boosters at lower weights, children who weigh less than 40 pounds should remain in convertible or forward-facing safety seats. Current shield boosters do have removable shields which allow them to become backless belt positioning boosters for children who weigh more than 40 pounds. This is the only use of these devices that experts typically recommend. Adaptive Restraints for Children with Special Transportation Needs: Children with special health or developmental issues can often use conventional safety seats, but some may need restraint systems that are designed to address those issues. If your child may have unconventional transportation needs, it is recommended that you discuss them with your pediatrician, physical therapist and a trained transportation specialist. They should be able to refer you to resources that can help you select and use an appropriate system. Safety belt: Vehicle safety belts are designed to protect adults and older children (usually around age 8), and they must be used correctly to provide that function. To determine whether a child is large enough to use safety belts alone, parents and caregivers need to assess the child for three necessary characteristics: If any of these characteristics are not present, it is likely that the child needs a belt positioning booster seat. Safety belts should stay on the strong, bony parts of the body, and shoulder belts must never be placed behind the back or under the arm. Q. Where can I find a low-cost or free child safety seat? Our local coalitions should be able to help. Coalitions can often provide child safety seats to families in need, either at no charge or for a small donation. Please visit a local Safe Kids Buckle Up Car Seat Check Up or call your local Safe Kids coalition. If the coalition is unable to provide a seat, they may be able to direct you to an agency who can. Our home page www.safekids.org contains a tool to help you find a Car Seat Check Up or Child Safety Seat Inspection Station near you. The listings are by state. If there isn't an event listed close to you please call your local Safe Kids coalition about additional resources. If there isn't a coalition close to you, please contact the state coalition (at the top of the list) about available resources. To find a nationwide list of events, click on the words "complete listing of Safe Kids Buckle Up events." Q. My 3-year-old simply will not stay in his/her child safety seat. What can I do? There are a couple of variables that can affect whether a child stays in his or her child safety seat. A parent or caregiver must ensure:
1) That everyone in the vehicle, including the adults, is buckled up during every ride. This sets an example for the child that riding unrestrained is unacceptable. Beyond that, it is a behavioral issue. One method that has been used by many is consistently stating that the car will not move unless everyone is buckled up. If the child "escapes" during travel, the driver can pull over to a SAFE PLACE and remain there until the child agrees to sit in his or her safety seat. It may require extra travel time at first, but once the child realizes it is remaining in the child safety seat is not negotiable, the problem should subside. The short answer is, “no.” Tell her that a properly used safety belt helps to manage forces in a crash, so the injuries aren't as bad. Her safety belt will: Safety belts work best if used the way they were designed and tested: Snug safety belts may seem a little uncomfortable – but the protection they offer in a crash is more than worth it! Q. What do I need to know about transporting our children safely in our pickup truck? Most practices are the same as if your children were riding in a car. In cases where it is absolutely impossible for all children ages 12 and under to ride in a back seat, tough decisions need to be made. In general, children should be kept as far as possible from an active air bag. You should consult your vehicle manufacturer for advice on disabling air bags if a child under 13 will ride in an air bag-equipped position, and many pickup truck models come with a pre-installed air bag on/off switch. Rear-facing infants can NEVER be placed in seating positions with active frontal air bags. If the truck has a back seat, it should be a full front-facing seat. Child safety seats )including boosters) cannot be used on side-facing vehicle seats. If the vehicle seat is front-facing, eighty percent of the child safety seat base should be positioned on it. Some advocates have expressed concerns about side-facing vehicle seats in extended cabs, even for older passengers, since there is little or no upper body protection offered. In addition, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) recently released information that the chances of injury are significantly higher in the rear seats of extended cab pickups than in other passenger vehicles. NOTE: Children should NEVER ride in the cargo area (bed) of a pickup truck or any other vehicle. Q. There are no safety belts on my children's school buses! Isn't that unsafe? Transporting children safely to and from school is an important issue for school systems, parents and caregivers. Most children killed or injured in school bus incidents were either getting on/off of the bus or were outside of the bus. School bus transportation is statistically the safest form of ground transportation. The question of having safety belts on school buses, however, is complex one. Children on large school buses are protected by a system called “compartmentalization.” A combination of high, energy-absorbent seat backs and narrow seat spacing creates a “compartment” for occupants in a crash. It uses the concept of “eggs in a carton,” keeping occupants confined and spreading crash forces over a wide area of the body. In addition, the large vehicle size, typical travel times/routes and visibility of large buses adds to that protection. Small school buses that weigh less than 10,000 pounds must be equipped with lap belts, since smaller buses experience crash forces similar to those experienced by passenger cars. A few states and school districts also require lap belts on larger buses, but recent research has shown that they are not always the best option. In summary, the research shows that: One of the critical challenges for transporting school-aged children safely on buses is ensuring that they are protected by the features designed into the buses. Many school systems allow their buses to be overcrowded, reducing the protection for all of their students. All children should be appropriately protected in school transit. Most school-aged children can be protected by current bus features, but kids who need age-, development- and size-appropriate safety seats should also be protected. Currently, the best way to accommodate children with additional needs is to transport them on small buses that have lap belts. Q. What should I know about children and frontal air bags? Since the most common type of crash is frontal, the rear seat is generally the safest place for children to ride, regardless of air bags. One study showed that children are up to 37% less likely to die, when seated in the rear than if seated in the front. Most past and current air bags were designed to help protect adults in frontal collisions; not children. Especially when a child is in a rear-facing safety seat or out of position, a frontal air bag can cause serious or fatal injury. Q. What if my car has side impact air bags? Side impact air bags improve the protection of adults in the most dangerous type of crashes, side impacts. Many experts are concerned that children who are leaning against a side bag at the time of deployment can be seriously injured, depending on the design of the specific air bag. At least one child safety seat manufacturer states that their restraint devices must not be used in seating positions with side bags. Since side impact air bags vary so greatly from model to model, the most accurate source of information is the vehicle manufacturer. Refer to your vehicle owner's manual for recommendations that apply to your vehicle, and contact the manufacturer’s customer service department with additional questions. Q. We're considering buying a new car. Can you recommend a safe one? Cars have a wide variety of safety features, but all must meet minimum safety standards. If you are looking for comparative information on different vehicle models, you can look at the feature charts in Buying a Safer Car for Child Passengers www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Another source of information is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash test ratings www.iihs.org. Q. What is the safest way for me to bring my children on an airplane? Although it is not currently required on aircraft, children should be secured in child safety seats until they weigh at least 40 pounds (depending on your child safety seat model), and then should be secured by aircraft lap belts. Properly restraining children and adults provides protection during takeoff and landing, in cases of clear air turbulence, and in survivable crashes. Most rear-facing and forward-facing child safety seats are labeled that to meet FAA requirements, though booster seats cannot be used. Bringing your child’s safety seat with you also provides the practical benefit of having it with you when you land. Before traveling, it is recommended that you check your safety seat for FAA compliance labeling and contact the airline for child safety seat policies and possibly for additional seat discounts.
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