Many parents do not realize their child is in the wrong car seat. Visit Safercar.gov/TheRightSeat and make sure your child is riding safely. #therightseat.
It has been quite a long time since I have had kids in car seats – instead I now have kids who drive themselves. Life moves along quite quickly when you have kids. I am pretty sure it was just yesterday that I was changing diapers and worrying about whether or not I was going to get to sleep through the night.
There is no doubt that as parents, keeping our kids safe is always our number one priority. And it IS a stressful job!
With so many different car seats on the market today, parents can find it very overwhelming. But the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has made it just a little bit easier for us!
Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old, and every 33 seconds a child under 13 is involved in a car crash in the United States. Many times deaths and injuries can be prevented by proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. We need to get out a message that will educate parents and caregivers about the importance of selecting the right seat for their child’s age and size, and to remind them that car seats, booster seats and seat belts offer the best protection for children in crashes and help save lives!
Can you imagine? Thinking that your child is in the right car seat, only to find out that they aren’t!
So what do you choose?
Infant, convertible, or booster seat? Finding the right car seat and installing it correctly is no easy task. Then there’s the question of when to transition your child to another type of car seat. Following these steps will help you find the right car seat based on car seat type, age and size recommendations, and will show you how to install your car seat the correct way.
You can customize the look and feel of any car seat, but there are three basic types of car seats to choose from:
- Rear-Facing Car Seat: It has a harness and, in a crash, cradles and moves with your child to reduce the stress to the child’s fragile neck and spinal cord. To maximize safety, keep your child in a car seat rear facing for as long as possible.
- Forward-Facing Car Seat: Has a harness and tether that limits your child’s forward movement during a crash. To maximize safety, keep your child in a car seat for as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
- Booster Seat: Positions the seat belt so that it fits properly over the stronger parts of a child’s body. Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly.
As a parent, you are your kids’ strongest influence when it comes to modeling safe driving practices, including buckling up every time you get in the car. Teach your family that safety is the responsibility of all passengers as well as the driver.
Get this message out to your friends and family!
- Twitter – Many parents do not realize their child is in the wrong car seat. Visit Safercar.gov/TheRightSeat and make sure your child is riding safely. #therightseat.
- Facebook – Storks know how to keep kids safe. Do you? Visit safercar.gov/therightseat to know for sure that your child is in the right seat for their age and size. #STORKS #TheRightSeat
Thank you for sharing. It is extremely important that parents make sure to check and see that they have their kids in the correct seat.