It’s summer road trip time, and while we hope your vacation is an opportunity for you to forget all your worries, you shouldn’t forget car seat safety. Keep your kids safe on the road on vacation, all summer, and all year long with these 8 car seat safety tips.
Keep Your Child Seat Rear-Facing as Long as You Can (at Least Until Age 2)
Studies have shown that a rear-facing car seat is five times safer than forward facing. Many parents may have concern about leg injuries, but forward-facing children have received more leg injuries than rear-facing kids. Frog-legged or cross-legged, however your child wants to sit, it’s safe and comfortable to do it rear-facing as long as you can.
When you Face Forward, Use the Tether
Your car seat has a tether that secures the top of a forward-facing car seat to the back of the vehicle. Use it! Even if you use the seat belt. Even if you use lower anchors. Every forward-facing car seat should be tethered.
Use Booster Seats Until Your Child Passes the 5-Step Test
These five steps, courtesy of the Car Seat Lady, will tell you when your child is ready to ditch the booster seat.
Remove the Bulk Before You Buckle
If your child is wearing a coat, has a blanket, or is otherwise wrapped in something soft and fluffy, remove it before you buckle them into the seat. This fluff can be deceptive, and can make what seems like a snug fit dangerously loose.
Snug Those Straps
Once you’ve removed the fluff, make sure that the straps are nice and snug. You should be able to get a finger under the strap at the collar bone, but that’s it. If your whole hand fits under the strap, that’s not “comfortable,” it’s dangerous.
The Center is the Safest
Studies have snown that the center is the safest part of the back seat for children, mostly because of the reduced risk of direct impact. If you have multiple kids, the oldest is the most likely to be forward-facing, so keep them in the center (rear-facing is safer, remember).
Have a Trained Tech Inspect Your Installation
Over 90% of car seats are not installed properly. These things are pretty challenging, so don’t settle for “good enough.” Find a trained tech in your area to inspect your install and show you the right way to do it.
Always Use the Car Seat – Even on Summer Vacation
When you go on your summer vacation, you can leave some things at home – your work, your stress, your diet. However, don’t let your commitment to relaxation cause you to not use the car seat. Bring it, buckle it.
We hope you use these tips to keep your kids safe all summer long!