Car Seat Safety
By the end of this lesson:
• Participants will know the child passenger safety law in Alaska.
• Participants will understand the safest practice when using car
seats.
• Participants will identify which kind of car seat fits their child.
• Participants will become familiar with common misuses of car seats.
• Participants will identify NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Administration)
child passenger safety technicians in their community.
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Activity 1:
List two reasons why buckling up your child in a car seat is important.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading killer of children in this Country! Unintentional injuries (like car crashes) kill more children then ALL childhood diseases combined! Each year, approximately 1,800 children ages 14 and under die in automobile crashes and more than 280,000 are injured. Shockingly, approximately 40% of children ride unrestrained in automobiles, and of the children who are buckled up, 85% are restrained incorrectly. Car seats and safety belts, when used properly, reduce death rates by 70% and reduce disabling injuries by 65% - 70% among children 14years and under in the event of a crash. The goal of this lesson is to help you choose the correct car seats for your children and to help you avoid common misuses. By working together, we CAN save children's lives!
Activity 2:
Does EVERY child under 80lbs. in your family use a child restraint system (car seat or booster seat)?
Safest Practice:
• NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) recommends that all children up to 80 pounds AND 4'8" ride in a car seat. Until a child reaches this weight and height, he/she will NOT fit properly in an adult shoulder/lap belt.
Let's Look At The Different Types of Car Seats:
TYPE 1: Infant Seat
• Typically fits from birth to 20lbs.
• Be sure to read the manufacturers instructions on your specific seat
because weight limits may vary.
• Must be used facing the rear of the car ONLY.
• Facing rear distributes the force in a crash or sudden stop on baby's back,
which is their largest surface area, instead of on their neck.
• Baby rides at a semi-reclined position.
• At a 45 degree angle. Sometimes a rolled up blanket or newspaper
beneath the base near the crack of the seat can help to achieve this
angle.
• If baby is sitting too upright, their head can fall forward which obstructs
breathing.
• When in the car, the handle of the infant seat must always be down!
• If the handle is left up, it will take some of the forces in a crash which it
is not made for. The handle can crack and hurt the baby.
• Baby's head needs to be at least 1 inch from the top. If it is not, the
baby has outgrown the specific seat.
Type 2: Convertible Seat
• Typically fits from birth to 40 pounds.
• A 5 point harness, as seen in picture above, is the safest kind of harness.
• Faces the rear of the car until baby is 20 - 30 pounds.
• Again, make sure you read your manufacture's instructions because rear
facing weight limits vary.
• While rear facing, the seat needs to be at the 45 degree angle.
• The harness can be thread through either of the two lower slots.
• The top of the harness needs to be at or below baby's shoulders.
• Faces forward in the car until baby is 40 pounds.
• The harness is only crash tested up to 40 pounds. It is NOT
recommended to keep your child in this seat exceeding 40 pounds!
• The harness needs to be thread through the top slots only.
• The bottom two sets of slots are not reinforced and in a crash while seat
is forward facing, the seat could crack and baby could be seriously
injured.
• The seat, while forward facing, needs to be in the upright position - as
opposed to the 45 degree angle when rear facing.
Type 3: Booster Seats
• The low back booster seat, as seen in the first picture, is for children 40lbs to
80lbs.
• Again, make sure to read your manufacture's instructions because upper
weight limits will vary.
• The purpose of this seat is to "boost" the child up so that the
shoulder/lap belt will fit properly - over the shoulder and hip bones.
• The high back booster/car seat, is for children 30lbs to 80 lbs.
•The harness system is used until the child reaches 40 lbs.
• After 40 lbs, the harness system is removed and the child uses the seat
as a booster seat. It "boosts" the child up so that the shoulder/lap belt
fits properly.
• There are also high back booster seats that do not come with a harness,
as seen in the second picture above. These seats simply are used as the
low back booster seats mentioned above.
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• The shield booster, as seen to your right, is NOT safe when used on a child 40lbs or over with the shield. The shield is meant to be used for children 30lbs. to 40lbs. Remember, a 5 point harness is safer for children in this weight range. It is okay to use this seat if you remove the shield and use the bottom as you would a low back booster with a shoulder lap belt starting when your child is 40 lbs.
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Activity 3:
How long should your child stay rear facing in their car seat?
Because baby's neck muscles take time to fully develop, it is recommended that a child stay rear facing in the car until 1 YEAR AND 20lbs. This will prevent spinal cord injuries.
Activity 4:
What type of car seats do your children need according to their weight and age?
Tips For Proper Installation
• First and most importantly, ALWAYS read your car seat manufacturer's
instructions and your vehicle owner's manual.
• Make sure you have a tight fit, the car seat should NOT move more than 1
inch from side to side.
• The back middle seat is the safest place in a car. It is away from all sites of
impact during a crash.
• NEVER put a rear facing child in front of an airbag.
• Passenger side airbags deploy at 240 miles per hour - it will crack the car
seat and crush your baby's skull.
• Realize that most car seats are improperly installed. I cannot tell you how to
install your car seat without looking at your car and your specific seat belt
system. To be sure your car seat is installed properly you must get it
checked out by a NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
certified child passenger safety technician.
Some Common Misuses
• ALWAYS read the manufacturer's instructions and your vehicle owner's manual.
• Make sure the harness is snug on baby.
• Only one adult finger should fit between the harness and the baby.
• Do not use blankets or heavy clothing underneath the harness - it will compromise
the tight fit of the harness and compress during a crash which will cause more
severe injuries to the child.
• Make sure the harness clip is at armpit level.
• When you buy your car seat, make sure you send in the registration.
• This is how you get notified of recalls.
• Click HERE to view a copy of the most updated child safety seat recall list.
• Do not use a seat that is more than 10 years old.
• Car seats must be replaced if you get into a crash!
• During a crash, the plastic of the car seat takes all the force. The seat is only
made to take one crash - if you continue to use it and get into another crash, the
seat might fall apart and your child could be seriously injured.
• If you have a used car seat:
• It must be less than 10 years old.
• It must never have been involved in a crash.
• It must show no signs of cracking, twisting, or loose hardware.
• Must have ALL parts and pieces, including manufacturer's instructions.
• Must meet label requirements.
• Must check to see if it is on recall.
• If you cannot meet all of the above criteria, don't use the seat and chance your
child's life.
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Don't use aftermarket products, like the ones pictured on the right. These products are NOT crash tested with your seat and could therefore compromise the integrity of your car seat and potentially cause harm to your child.
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• Always use a car seat EVERY time you ride. Even if you are taking a short trip - fact is three-quarters of the fatalities occur within 25miles of home and more than half of the crashes involving death or injury are at 40mph or less. Moreover, consistent expectations are vital to avoid continual struggles over whether or not your child will sit in the car seat.
Activity 5:
What is the most important thing you learned about car seats?
Activity 6:
What changes are you going to make when trying to keep your child safe in the car?
Activity 7:
How many children do you have under 80lbs and 4'9" and how many child restraint systems (car seats and booster seats) will you be using from now on?
For further information on car seat safety, check out these websites:
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administraion
• National Safe Kids Campaign
• Child Passenger Safety Forums
Which WIC Office do you go to?
Where are you taking today's lesson?
You have completed the “Car Seat Safety Class”.
Back to WIC Lessons
Revised: 06-13-2008
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