Car Seat Misuse

Correct use of car seats for small children is essential to prevent serious injuries and death from automotive accidents.

Nine out of ten of the car seats inspected at checkups have something wrong and failure to use a seat properly can contribute to serious injury or death of a child.

In order to avoid  mistakes when setting up your child’s safety seat we recommend that you read the manufacturer’s instruction booklet carefully to make sure you are using your seat correctly.

Also survey results suggest that parents are more likely to misuse car seats for infants than toddlers.

With that in mind it is important to have the following checklist on hand to make sure you are not misusing your safety car seat and that your child is safe when traveling with you on the car:

QUICK CHECKLIST FOR SAFETY SEAT MISUSE:

Common and Dangerous Mistakes:

• Child not using the safety seat or sitting in the seat without using the harness.
• Baby facing the front of the car. Children should face the rear until at least age 1, preferably 2.
• Rear-facing child riding in front seat of car with passenger air bag. Air bags are fatal for infants!
• Toddler or older child riding in front. If car has passenger air bag and back seat is full, slide front
  seat back as far as possible, adjust shoulder straps snugly, make sure child does not lean forward.
• Too many people in the car. There must be one safety belt per person.

Car Seat Problems:

• Unsafe used seat (rusty, cracked, broken, bent, over 5-10 years old, involved in crash or not known).
• Child too big for seat (weight above maximum per instructions or head not supported).
• Child too small or too young for seat (shield in front of infant’s face or neck; 2-year-old in booster).
• Harness straps threaded incorrectly (check instructions) or too loose (should not be able to pinch a fold
  in the strap between the thumb and finger).
• Harness straps on the arms or under the arms (straps must go over the shoulders).
• Buckle, crotch strap or overhead shield (if there is one) not attached. Listen for the “click.”

Installations Problems:

• Safety seat attached to car incorrectly. Check manuals for car seat and vehicle.
• Loose installation (should not move more than 1” when pushed toward front of car or sideways).
• Older child using safety belt incorrectly. Use a booster for safe belt fit and child’s comfort.
• Booster used with only a lap belt (lap-shoulder belt must be used).

Important: This is a partial list designed to help parents, drivers, and law enforcement officers recognize obvious misuse. It is not to be used as the basis of a detailed inspection.

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