Child Car Seat Safety

Updated May 29, 2019

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, seven out of ten car seats are not used or installed correctly. It’s no surprise that the number one cause of deaths among children is trauma, such as car accidents. Unintended injury accounts for 43 percent of all deaths in children. To a new parent, that’s extremely alarming.

Child Safety Seat Mistakes

Here are some of the most common child safety seat installation mistakes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Not using the right child safety seats for the child’s size and age
• Not placing the child safety seat in the correct direction
• Incorrect installation of the child safety seat in relation to the vehicle’s air bags
• Incorrect installation and tightness of the child safety seat to the vehicle seat
• Not securing or tightening the child safety seat’s harness and crotch straps
• Improper use of locking clips for certain vehicle safety belts
• Not making sure the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly across the child when using a booster seat
• Using a defective or broken child safety seat

One-Hit Wonders

Car seats are like helmets: They are designed to withstand one impact. If you are involved in a small fender bender with zero damage, your insurance company will require you to purchase a new child car seat. This rule is the danger of purchasing used car seats. There is little chance in knowing the history of that car seat.

If you have kids in car seats, take the time to get your car seat inspected.

Wilson Kehoe Winingham brings you this information with best regards for you and your family’s safety.

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