AAP and NHTSA Recommend New Guidelines for Car Seat Safety.

The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have just released new guidelines for car seat safety that are based more on size and weight of your child than on age. Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Proper use of car safety seats helps keep children safe. But with so many different car safety seats on the market, it’s no wonder many parents find this overwhelming.

The type of seat your child needs depends on several things, including your child’s size and the type of vehicle you have. The following information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers guidance on choosing the most appropriate car safety seat for your child.

Infants and toddlers should use rear-facing seats for the first two years.
These new guidelines recommend that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Safety Seat until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. Many parents have traditionally used their child’s one-year birthday as a time to turn the car seat around, but studies have shown that most infants are still too small at this age to ride as safely in a front facing seat during a vehicle crash.

Use a three-point harness as long as possible.
All children 2 years or older, or those younger than 2 years who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car safety seat, should use a Forward-Facing Car Safety Seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. It is best for most children to ride in a seat with a harness to at least to 4 years of age. If your child outgrows his seat before reaching 4 years of age, consider using a seat with a harness approved for higher weights and heights.

School-aged children should use booster seats up to age 12, depending on their size and weight.
Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing car safety seats. All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age. The owner’s manual that comes with your car safety seat will tell you the height and weight limits for the seat.

AAP and NHTSA recognize that many children will resist this new recommendation, but safety studies have shown a direct correlation between poorly fitting seat belts and spinal and abdominal injuries. If parents decide to allow their children to stop using a booster seat, they should make sure that the lap belt fits properly across their child’s chest (not the neck which can cause injury to the trachea or abdomen by sliding under the lap belt during a vehicle crash). Be sure to use the positioning guide on your booster seat to allow the seat belt to fit properly across your child’s chest and remain there during impact.

Shopping tips for car safety seats.
When shopping for a car safety seat, the AAP and NHTSA recommend that parents keep the following tips in mind:

• No one seat is the “best” or “safest.” The best seat is the one that fits your child’s size, is correctly installed, fits well in your vehicle, and is used properly every time you drive.
• Don’t decide by price alone. A higher price does not mean the seat is safer or easier to use.
• Avoid used seats if you don’t know the seat’s history. Never use a car safety seat that has any visible cracks on it or does not have a label with the date of manufacture and model number. Without these, you cannot check to see if the seat has been recalled.
• Never use a car seat that is missing parts. Used car safety seats often come without important parts. Check with the manufacturer to make sure you can get the right parts.
• Do not use seats that have been in a moderate or severe crash. Seats that were in a minor crash may still be safe to use, but some car safety seat manufacturers recommend replacing the seat after any crash, even a minor one.
  

Front air bags.
All new cars come with front air bags. When used with seat belts, air bags work very well to protect teenagers and adults. However, air bags can be very dangerous to children, particularly those riding in rear-facing car safety seats, and to preschool and young school-aged children who are not properly restrained. If your vehicle has a front passenger air bag, infants in rear-facing seats must ride in the back seat. Even in a relatively low-speed crash, the air bag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brain injury and death.

Vehicles with no back seat or a back seat that is not made for passengers are not the best choice for traveling with small children. However, the air bag can be turned off in some of these vehicles if the front seat is needed for a child passenger. See your vehicle owner’s manual for more information.

Side air bags.
Side air bags improve safety for adults in side-impact crashes. Read your vehicle owner’s manual for more information about the air bags in your vehicle. Read your car safety seat manual and the vehicle owner’s manual for guidance on placing the seat next to a side air bag.

We know that one of the most important jobs you have as a parent is keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle. We hope you will keep these new guidelines handy for future reference, and when you are in the market for a new car seat that you will let us help you select the right seat for your situation and need.