Rant: Car Seat Safety

Recently as I was driving, a billboard caught my attention: "3 Out Of 4 Children Are Not As Secure As They Could Be." The caption was accompanied by an image of 4 car seats, 3 of them empty, one of them with a child properly secured. Apparently, the NHTSA conducted a study that showed that 75% of our children are either riding in improperly installed car seats, or improperly secured in those car seats.

Shocked? I wasn't.

Lately, I have been seeing a rash of my mommy friends posting images of their sweet babies riding in car seats - with glaringly huge, unsafe mistakes that makes my eyes want to pop out of their sockets. Considering motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children aged 3-14, seeing all these pint-sized cuties riding around unsafely really irks me.

Here is what you should know about car seat safety:

• The NHTSA's new Car Seat Recommendations for Children state that ANY CHILD (without specifying a height or weight) under the age of one year needs to remain in a rear facing seat. Further, beyond one year of age, they recommend that you still keep your child rear-facing for as long as possible, only turning them around once they have met the maximum weight or height requirement for that seat. Most convertible car seats rear-face to 35 or 40 lbs. The Sunshine Kids Radian80SL and RadianXTSL both rear face to a weight of 45 lbs (the RadianXTSL is the seat we personally own for our daughter, who is currently rear facing, in the middle back seat, at 21 months and 22 lbs.) To translate, most seats will rear face a child easily for 3 or 4 year, and the NHTSA endorses this practice, calling it "the best way to keep him or her safe."
• Once a child outgrows the rear-facing limits on his or her car seat, he or she is ready to ride forward facing in a five point harness. Again, the child should continue riding in a forward facing car seat until he or she outgrows the maximum height/weight limit for that car seat. There is a wider range on forward facing weight limits, from what I can tell, but will forward face to at least 40 lbs, most to 65 and the Radian80SL and XTSL both forward face to 80 lbs.
• After a child outgrows the forward-facing capacity of their car seat, they can then move on to a booster, in the back seat, where they should continue to ride until they reach the age of nine of a height of 4' 9". Beyond that, children should remain in the back seat until at least twelve years of age.
  
• Although the above outlines the recommendations across the board, all 50 states have laws regarding child safety restraints, some more specific and/or stringent than others. In Texas, the law states that a child restraint is required for all children age seven and under, and under 57" (4' 9").
  
• When a car seat is correctly installed, you will not be able to move the base more than 1". If it moves more than the acceptable amount, it should be tightened or re-installed.
• When securing a child into a 5-point harness, the straps should NEVER be twisted for any reason, they should lay flat against the body of the child. A twisted strap will reduce the area that restrains the child in an accident, and may result in burns or more severe injuries. Make sure the straps are tightened enough that you can not pinch any part of it between your fingers. I've found this to be tighter than I would have imagined. The chest clip should be at ARMPIT level, not any lower.
  

I hope that this information can help friends, family, and even strangers to ensure their loved ones are riding as safely as possible. I firmly believe that rear-facing in the back seat is absolutely the safest position (as long as the car seat specifications allow for it). And what parent doesn't want to keep their child as safe as possible?! Get educated and be aware!