Turning your child to face forward too soonĬhildren have large heads and comparatively weak necks, so in a head-on collision a child's head can jerk forward suddenly and violently, resulting in spinal injuries. You can usually find an expiration date stamped somewhere on the seat. recommends sticking with car seats that are ideally less than five years old and definitely less than ten years old. In addition, to avoid the dangers of aging plastic, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. If you must use a secondhand seat, make sure it has the original instructions (or contact the manufacturer for a replacement copy), has all its parts (check the manual), has never been involved in a serious accident, and hasn't been recalled. Moreover, plastic gets brittle as it gets older, so a seat that's too old could break in a crash. Not only are used seats unlikely to come with the manufacturer's instructions (vital for correct installation), but they could be missing important parts, have been involved in an accident (even unseen damage can affect the seat's functioning), fall short of current safety standards, or have been recalled due to faulty design. The same goes for that older-model seat your sister gave you after her child outgrew it. That safety seat you scored at a garage sale for a fraction of its original price may seem like a bargain, but it could cost your child his life. Stephanie Tombrello, executive director of the nonprofit passenger-safety organization SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., urges all parents to get a safety seat that's convenient to use, and to make buckling your child into it such a habit that you don't even have to think about it.ĭownload our illustrated guide to car seat safety Safety seats dramatically reduce the risk of death or serious injury in a collision. In fact, auto accidents are by far the leading cause of death for American children. Every year, tens of thousands of children are injured in car crashes, and about a thousand are killed. All 50 states require that children up to 3 years of age (or 40 inches tall in Kentucky) ride in car seats in private vehicles, and many have laws requiring car seats or booster seats until a child is considerably older. In any case, using a safety seat consistently and correctly is the law. Remember, a one-time lapse can result in a lifetime of regret. " "She was having a meltdown, so I took her out of her seat for a minute to calm her down." Safety experts hear these words all too often from distraught parents after tragedy has struck. " "He hates to ride in his car seat, so just this once I didn't make him. "We were only going to the grocery store.
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