Follow these important car-seat safety tips
I’m Cindy Hilbish, coordinator for Ohio Buckles Buckeyes Coshocton County with Coshocton County Health Department. Let’s talk about car-seat safety.
Per the Centers for Disease Control, injuries due to transportation are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. In 2018, 636 children 12 years old and younger died in motor-vehicle traffic crashes, and more than 97,000 were injured. Child-restraint systems are often used incorrectly. An estimated 59% of car seats and 20% of booster seats are misused in a way that could reduce their effectiveness.
Whether you’re expecting your first child, have older children, or are a grandparent or caregiver watching children, consider taking a car-seat class. But first, here are some basic car-seat safety facts from Safe Ride News:
First tip, use a rear-facing car seat as long as possible. Never turn baby face forward before age 1. And as long as your child still fits the car seat’s height and weight limits, keep them rear-facing because the back of a rear-facing car seat supports a baby or toddler’s large head and weak neck, lowering the chance of serious injury in a crash.
Know when to transition from one seat to the next. Check the car seat’s label or manual for height and weight limits. Baby is too tall when the top of the head is less than 1 inch from the top of the car seat. When baby becomes too tall or heavy for a rear-facing-only car seat with a carry handle, she can keep riding rear-facing using a convertible car seat.
Typically, convertible car seats can be used rear-facing up to 30-50 pounds. Once the car seat’s rear-facing weight limit is reached or the head is less than an inch from the top of the car seat, a child can ride facing forward. It’s best to keep your child in the five-point harness of a forward-facing convertible seat until the child is 4 years old and reaches their car seat’s height and weight limit. A child should then use a booster seat.
Use a booster seat through a child’s eighth birthday. Ohio’s child passenger law states children under 8 years old must be properly restrained in a booster seat or other appropriate car seat unless they are 4 foot, 9 inches or taller. Booster seats raise your child up so the safety belt fits properly. Shoulder belts should cross the chest, not the neck. And lap belts should rest on the hip or pelvis, never on the stomach.
Lastly, children should sit in the back seat until they are at least 13 years old. In a crash, an opening air bag can injure or kill a child. The danger is greatest for rear-facing children. However, older children also are at risk. If a child must sit in the front due to traveling in a sports car or pickup truck that has a very small or no back seat, make sure the air bag is turned off. Check the car manual for more information about air bags.
If you haven’t taken a car-seat class, I encourage you to schedule for one of our virtual car-seat classes. Just call 740-295-7314. We also provide free car seats and booster seats to income-eligible families.