Car Seat Safety

Engineers are working hard to ensure that cars and car seats are designed to keep kids as safe as possible. But it’s up to every parent to take full advantage of these innovations by making sure car seats and booster seats are used and installed correctly. Here’s what you need to know to ensure that your most precious cargo is safe in cars.

Info on Car Seat Safety

Road injuries are the leading cause of unintentional deaths to children in the United States. Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent.

Top Tips

Seventy-three percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly, so before you hit the road, check your car seat. At the bottom of this article is a car seat checklist to help you out. It takes only 15 minutes. If you are having even the slightest trouble, questions or concerns, certified child passenger safety technicians are able to help or even double check your work.
Learn how to install your car seat for free. NHTSA hosts car seat inspection events across the country where certified technicians can help you learn to install your car seat properly. They will teach you so that you can always be sure your car seat is used correctly. Find a NHTSA car seat checkup event near you.
Buy a used car seat only if you know its full crash history. That means you must buy it from someone you know, not from a thrift store, from a stranger, or from a listserve. Once a car seat has been in a crash, is missing parts, or is expired or broken, it needs to be replaced.
We know that when adults wear seat belts, kids wear seat belts. So be a good example and buckle up for every ride. Be sure everyone in the vehicle buckles up, too.
Never leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. While it may be tempting to dash out for a quick errand, the temperature inside your car can rise 20 degrees and cause heatstroke in the time it takes for you to run in and out of the store.

Learn More

While it may seem like you need an engineering degree to figure out which car seat is best for your child, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Read the car seat tips below and we’ll help you pick the right seat for your child’s age, weight, height and developmental stage.

Is your child’s car seat registered? Parents can register their new or currently used car seat, ensuring that they are promptly notified about future recalls and guided through the repair process. Here’s how:

Register online with your car seat manufacturer, using the information found on the information sticker on your car seat.
Fill out the registration card that came with your car seat. It’s pre-populated with your car seat’s information. Mail the card; no postage required.

TIP: Take a photo of your car seat label and save it to your phone so you can have it handy.

Car Seat Tips

Choose the Right Direction: Rear- or Forward-Facing

For the best protection, keep your baby in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible – until at least 2 years old. You can find the exact height and weight limit of your car seat on the side or back label. Kids who ride in rear-facing seats have the best protection for the head, neck and spine. It is especially important for rear-facing children to ride in a back seat away from the airbag.
When your children outgrow a rear-facing seat around age 2, move them to a forward-facing car seat. Keep the seat in the back and make sure to attach the top tether after you tighten and lock the seat belt or lower attachments (LATCH). Many car seat labels will tell you exactly how much your child can weigh and still use the lower attachments and top tether. Unhook the lower attachments and use the seat belt once your child reaches the lower attachment weight limit. Check both your child restraint and vehicle manuals to see if there is a weight limit for the top tether. If they both agree to a higher weight, it is fine to follow their directions.
Some forward-facing car seats have harnesses for larger children. Check labels to find the exact height and weight limits for your seat. Discontinue use of the lower attachments or top tether when your child reaches the limits set by your car seat and car manufacturers. You must read both manuals to know about those limits. Not to worry: Once your child meets the lower attachment weight limits, you will switch to a seat belt. Seat belts are made to protect very heavy adults as well as children in car seats and booster seats.

Check the Label

Look at the label on your car seat to make sure it’s appropriate for your child’s age, weight and height and development.
Your car seat has an expiration date – usually around six years. Find the label and double check to make sure it’s still safe. Discard a seat that is expired in a dark trash bag so that it cannot be pulled from the trash and reused.

Know Your Car Seat’s History

Buy a used car seat only if you know its full crash history. That means you must buy it from someone you know, not from a thrift store or over the internet. Once a car seat has been in a crash or is expired or broken, it needs to be replaced.

Make Sure Your Car Seat is Installed Correctly

Inch Test. Once your car seat is installed, give it a good tug at the base where the seat belt goes through it. Can you move it more than an inch side to side or front to back? A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.
Pinch Test. Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check your car seat manual). With the chest clip placed at armpit level, pinch the strap at your child’s shoulder. If you are unable to pinch any excess webbing, you’re good to go.
For both rear- and forward-facing child safety seats, use either the car’s seat belt or the lower attachments and for forward-facing seats, remember to add the top tether to lock the car seat in place. Don’t use both the lower attachments and seat belt at the same time. They are equally safe- so pick the one that gives you the best fit.
If you are having even the slightest trouble, questions or concerns, certified child passenger safety technicians are able to help or even double check your work. A certified technician can confirm your car seat is properly installed. Find a technician or car seat checkup event near you at www.nhtsa.gov.

Is it Time for a Booster Seat?

Take the next step to a booster seat when you answer “yes” to any of these questions:

Does your child exceed the car seat’s height or weight limits?
Are your child’s shoulders above the car seat’s top harness slots?
Are the tops of your child’s ears above the top of the car seat?

If the car seat with a harness still fits and your child is within the weight and height limits, continue to use it until it is outgrown. It provides more protection than a booster seat or seat belt for a small child.

Be Wary of Toys

Toys can injure your child in a crash, so be extra careful to choose ones that are soft and will not hurt your child. A small, loose toy can be dangerous and injure your baby in a crash. Secure loose objects and toys to protect everyone in the car.

Buckle Up

We know that when adults wear seat belts, kids wear seat belts. So set a good example and buckle up for every ride. Be sure everyone in the vehicle buckles up, too.
Buckling up the right way on every ride is the single most important thing a family can do to stay safe in the car.

Prevent Heatstroke

Never leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. While it may be tempting to dash out for a quick errand while your babies are sleeping peacefully in their car seats, the temperature inside your car can rise quickly and cause heatstroke in the time it takes for you to run in and out of the store.
Leaving a child alone in a car is against the law in many states.

Car Seat Checkup

Right Seat.This is an easy one. Check the label on your car seat to make sure it’s appropriate for your child’s age, weight and height. Like milk, your car seat has an expiration date. Just double check the label on your car seat to make sure it is still safe.
Right Place. Kids are VIPs, just ask them. We know all VIPs ride in a back seat, so keep all children in a back seat until they are 13.
Right Direction. Keep your child in a rear-facing car seat until at least age 2. When he or she outgrows the seat, move your child to a forward-facing car seat and make sure to attach the top tether after you tighten and lock the seat belt or lower attachments (LATCH).
Inch Test. Once your car seat is installed, give it a good shake at the base. Can you move it more than an inch side-to-side or front- to-back? A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.
Pinch Test. Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check car seat manual). Now, with the chest clip placed at armpit level, pinch the strap at your child’s shoulder. If you are unable to pinch any excess webbing, you’re good to go.

Also, please read the vehicle and car seat instruction manuals to help you with this checklist.

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