Car safety

State child car seat laws vary. Although most require a child to use a safety seat up to the age of three, after this many states only require that a child use the adult seat belt.

Choosing the right seat

It’s vital that your child is using the right type of seat for his weight and age:

Infant-only seats are rear-facing seats for babies from birth up to 22 or 30 pounds depending on the model.

Infant-toddler/convertible seats are used rear-facing from birth until your baby weighs at least 20 pounds and can then be switched to face forward (some models can be used rear-facing up to 30 pounds, which is safer for your baby).

Combination/booster seats are designed for children of around four years plus, who have outgrown their toddler seats. They can be used as both a forward-facing seat with harness and a belt-positioning booster.

Backless booster seats are used for older kids as long as your car seats have head supports. Some combination seats have removable backs that detach to leave a booster cushion. Traffic safety experts recommend that children use a booster until they are at least four foot nine inches tall (around eight or nine years of age).

Using child car seats correctly

With young children, prematurely moving them out of rear-facing seats can put them at higher risk of injury in a car accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that infants should be kept in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, until they’re at least one year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds; or until they exceed the height or weight limit of their seat. However, figures indicate that 28 percent of under-ones and 24 percent of babies under 20 pounds don’t travel in a rear-facing seats but are prematurely moved to front-facing safety seats.

But it’s for the over-threes that the law starts to slip when it comes to in-car safety. Almost half of children aged four to seven years old who died in car crashes in 2004 weren’t appropriately restrained – and this is because not every state has adequate booster seat laws, and some don’t have any at all. NHTSA figures indicate that around 392 children under the age of five who were involved in car accidents in 2006 survived because they were restrained in a child car seat. An additional 98 under-fives would most likely have survived the car accident in which they died had they been sitting in one. Moving toddlers and preschoolers to booster seats too early is also a problem – ideally they should stay in their forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually at four years of age and 40 pounds).

Research suggests that using the adult seat belt alone to restrain a young child makes him more than three times likely to be injured in a car accident and four times more likely to incur serious head injuries. A booster seat raises a preschooler who has outgrown his toddler seat up to the correct height so the adult seat belt can restrain him correctly, without injuring him in a collision. Presently, almost half of children who should use a booster seat don’t.

By using a properly fitted child car seat that meets current safety standards, and is appropriate for your child’s weight and height, you’ll be helping to make your car a safer environment for your child. It’s possible to get your car seat fitted by a trained professional but if you do decide to fit it yourself, ensure that you follow the manufacturers’ instructions properly. Allow yourself time so that you don’t need to rush, and make sure you check the seat is fitted correctly each time you need to use it.

For more information on the NHTSA’s recommended child restraint types for children of various heights and weights, and for information on its campaign to increase child restraint use, log onto www.nhtsa.gov.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.