Home | Services A-Z | Public Education | Employment | Contact Information

Child Safety Seat Check

Upcoming Event Locations & Dates

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends that whenever possible, children ages 2 and under ride in the back seat of a vehicle. And the safest position for a safety seat, if it can be properly secured, is the center of the back seat.

A child should ride in a rear-facing seat until at least one year and 20 pounds, and a rear-facing safety seat should
never be placed in a vehicle seat equipped with an air bag.
At one year and 20 pounds, a child can ride in a forward-facing seat equipped with internal harnesses.
When a child reaches the height and weight limit of his forward-facing seat (as prescribed by the manufacturer),
he should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat, to be used in combination with an adult lap and shoulder belt.

A child is ready for an adult safety belt with no booster when:

He can sit against the back of the seat and bend his knees over the edge.
The lap belt makes good contact low over his hips.
The shoulder belt makes good contact across his chest and collarbone.

Common Misuse of Child Safety Seats and the Consequences

Misuse: Vehicle's seat belt is not correctly routed through the child safety seat belt path.
Consequences: Child seat may not be held securely during a crash allowing contact with interior surfaces.

Misuse: Harness retainer clip improperly used (improperly threaded and set below armpit level.)
Consequences: Harness straps can slip off shoulders allowing movement during a crash.

Misuse: Harness straps not tight enough and harness straps worn and frayed.
Consequences: Looseness in the child safety seat restraint system results in compounding crash forces experienced by the child. Higher crash forces mean more severe injuries!