Seat Belts and Car Seats: Is Your Child Safe?
November 9th, 2009 by Penny Hagerman
Driving with kids in the car can get hectic. When it’s nap time, the kids are screaming and fighting and you need to run errands, it’s hard to get things done and meet your kids’ needs, too.
But our kids are our life. So when it’s time to climb in the car, boost them into their car seats and buckle them in, we want to know they’ll be safe and secure, whether we’re making a mad dash for the post office or trying to cross three trips off our errand list at once.
So let me pose this question: Are you confident you’re buckling your kids up right? Do you know the proper positioning for a 3-year-old versus a 12-year-old?
And what about car seats? When is it safe to move your child from a child safety seat to a booster seat? Or to the regular car seat, where he or she can buckle up with the same safety belts you use?
If you’re confused about forward- versus rear-facing safety seats, or you can’t make heads or tails of that brand new car seat you just bought and are trying to install in your SUV, there’s good news: You’re not alone. Research by GMAC Insurance shows that more than a third of parents don’t know how to properly buckle their kids up either.
I remember when my daughter was young. Back then, the experts said it was OK for infants to ride up front with mom and dad, as long as they were buckled tight and facing the back seat. So that’s where my daughter rode. It did make shoving a bottle or her pacifier in her mouth while driving much easier—but I had no idea it was putting her life at risk.
It seems safety guidelines for this kind of thing change every few years. So if you’re still not sure where to buckle your kids, or when to move them into a different type of car seat, ask your insurance company what their guidelines say, read our article on the subject, or check with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which compares child safety and booster seats to help you choose the best one for your needs.
You love your kids, so don’t risk their lives unknowingly when buckling them in for a car trip. Find out how to use those safety seats and seat belts properly so everyone can return home safely.
November 12th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Yes, it is scary to know how many parents don’t use car seats for their children, or don’t have them installed correctly. You’ve presented some great information. Thanks for sharing!
November 25th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Hi Lauren, thanks for reading. By the way, love your web site! You’ve got some great information on various brands and sizes of children’s car seats there, too. Maybe with people like us out there trying to educate parents, more kids will ride protected, especially during this holiday season!
December 20th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Good article about seat belt safety for children. It is not easy to install child car seats correctly. I have seen car dealerships in my area offering a service to check car seats for children to make sure they are installed correctly. I though it was a nice touch by them and a good way to address car seat safety for children.
December 24th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Hi Jeff, thanks for your comment. I’m glad to hear your local dealerships are helping people out by making sure their kids are strapped in properly. I remember struggling with my daughter’s car seat when she was little and, back then, there was no one around to help or check to see if I was doing it right. If I had small children today and I needed a new car, I might be more willing to buy it from a company that provided such a service. Thanks for reading, and please let us know if there’s a subject like this you’d like to read more about. Happy holidays!
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:46 pm
I bought Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat in the color ‘lotus’ (crimson and black) and my daughter loved riding in it. the double infant head support cushion was key during the first couple of weeks - i’ve talked with other people who’ve had difficulty using infant carseats with just a single head support, as the newborn’s head bobbles around.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Thanks for your comment. It’s so important to know what to look for in an infant car seat, and it sounds like you did your homework to make sure you would adequately protect your child. Kudos! I hope that, as your child grows, you will be just as diligent in keeping up to date with car seat requirements and moving your child into different types of protective seats, as needed. Please use us as a resource in the future. Thanks for reading!