Car Seat Safety

I’m not an expert on car seats and by no means should you use this article as your main or only resource in deciding on, installing and using a car seat.  Always read your car seat instruction manual and vehicle manual thoroughly. I would also suggest you check with your local police or fire department(s) to ensure your car seat is properly installed and your children are buckled in properly.

It’s pretty scary to think that between 80 & 90% of car seats used are not used properly.  I’d like to think that I fall into the 10% that use the car seat properly but I’m probably not.  One of the things on my “To Do” list is to get my car seats inspected for proper installation and use.  (Easier said than done – I’ve asked a local health nurse to check for me – they don’t do it anymore and I’ve phoned the local RCMP detachment – they only have one officer that can check and I would have to phone every morning on the days I’m planning a trip to town to see if he is available.)

Enough rambling – I decided to write an article about some of the things that I’ve learned about car sets in the past 3 years.  Hopefully you can find some use from this information as well.

Some Statistics

Proper use of car seats reduce the risk of death by 71% and injury by 67%.

10,000 children under the age of 12 are injured or killed in traffic collisions every year.  Collisions are the number one cause of preventable death for children aged 1 – 9.

All vehicles 2002 & newer must be equipped with Universal Anchorage System (UAS) and in 2007 all school buses must install UAS anchorages in some of their seats.

80 – 90 % of car seats are used incorrectly.

In 1997 only 87% of children were restrained in vehicles, of those 87% only 70% of infants (under one) and 66.5% of all other ages were correctly restrained.

In 2002 less than 20% of all car seats checked were correctly installed.

25% of infant car seats are not installed rear facing.

4 out of 5 kids are not restrained properly in vehicles.

27% of forward facing car seats were not tethered

Various Tips

Make sure the car seat has the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard label.

Read and keep the full manufactures instruction manual.  Always follow all of the instructions in the car seat and vehicle manufactures manuals.

Make sure the child fits within the weight and height limits of the car seat.

Children under 13 should always be properly restrained in the back seat of the vehicle.  The middle, back seat is safest placement for car seat.

Car seat should be tight to the vehicle seat – only 1″ movement.

An “H” clip or locking clip may be required for proper installation of the car seat to the vehicle.  Make sure you check the vehicle owner’s manual.

Car seats have expiry dates on them because the plastic becomes brittle or may break easily.  If there is no expiry date, replace the car seat if it is 10 years old or if it shows any signs of wear, cracks or damage.

Never use a car seat or booster that has been in a collision even if it was not in use during the collision

Don’t add anything to the car seat such as head hugger, comfort straps, cuddle bags, unless they are provided by the manufacturer.

When buckling a child into the harness, make sure the harness is not twisted, the harness should lie flat along the child’s body.  If the harness is twisted during a collision, the force of impact will be concentrated in the area where the harness is twisted.  When the harness lies flat, the impact is distributed along all of the harness.  A twisted harness will wear more quickly and is probably not very comfortable for the child.

Bulking clothing such as winter jackets and ski pants restrict the proper fit of the harness.  The harness cannot provide effective restraint in the event of a collision.  During winter months it is best to remove the winter clothing, buckle the child into the seat and cover the child with a blanket.

When shopping for a new car seat look for one that is easy to use and fits in your vehicle.  If at all possible try the car seat out in your vehicle before purchase.  (However for all three of the car seats that I have purchased thus far, the retailer would not allow us to do so.)  Be sure the car seat is easy to use to ensure that it will be used correctly every time, even if someone is unfamiliar with the seat.  Look for one that has at least 2 sets of shoulder harness strap slots to provide room for growth and make sure the harness is east to adjust.

Never place a rear facing seat in front of air bag.  Rear facing is safest for the child, current laws indicate that a child has to be one year of age before moving to forward facing.  However recently a public health nurse informed me that legislation will soon be changing, the child will have to be 40 lbs before moving into a forward facing seat.

A rolled washcloth or diaper between the baby and crotch strap can prevent slouching.  Slouching in a car seat can affect the effectiveness of the harness straps during a collision.

The following are some tips for the different types of seats and stages of the child:

Rear Facing Infants – Birth to 22 lbs.

-          Harness should be snug – one finger between the harness and collarbone

-          Harness should be at or just below baby’s shoulders

-          Chest clip should be at armpit level

-          Never place a rear-facing child restraint in seat equipped with an airbag

-          Child must be rear-facing until one year of age, can pull themselves to a standing position by themselves and weigh 22 lbs

-          The car seat should be positions at 45 degree angle, if needed use a rolled towel or pool noodle under the car seat – must be a soft device

-          Make sure the carrying handle is lowered when travelling in a vehicle.

-          Car seat should be reclined so that baby’s upper body lies at 45 degree angle.

Forward Facing Child Seat – 22 – 40 lbs.

-          Harness should be snug – one finger between the harness and collarbone

-          Harness should be at or slightly above child’s shoulders

-          Chest clip should be at armpit level

-          Must be anchored to the vehicle frame with a tether strap

Booster Seat – over 40 lbs.

-          Move child out of forward facing child seat and into a booster when the child weighs more than 40 lbs and the mid-point of child’s ears are over the back of the child seat (if you have a tall child, you may need to move the child to a combination seat)

-          Booster seat raises the child to fit the adult seat belt properly

-          Lap and shoulder belt combinations provide the best protection

-          The lap belt should be worn low on the hips, touching the upper thighs, the shoulder belt should be worn over the shoulder and across the chest.

-          Use booster until your child exceeds the manufacturer’s weight and height limits or the mid-point of the ears are above the high back booster or vehicle seat

-          Buckle the seat belt across the booster seat even when unoccupied – prevent it from moving during a collision or sudden stop.

Seat Belt – over 80 lbs or is 8 yrs of age or is 4’9″ tall

-          Lap and shoulder belt combinations provide the best protection

-          The lap belt should be worn low on the hips, touching the upper thighs, the shoulder belt should be worn over the shoulder and across the chest.

In the next 5 or more years I’m going to need to shop for at least 2 more car/booster seats.  I currently own 3 different types and brands of seats and I know what I like and what I don’t like about each of them and will use this knowledge when shopping for a new seat.  Below is a list of what I like & dislike about the three seats that I currently own.  Please note that the following is my preference in the 3 types and brands that I currently own – I have not “tested” many different types or brands, it is only my opinion.

Graco Infant Carrier:

What I like about it:

• It snaps into a base or you can use it without the base
• It has a level to ensure that the seat is reclined within the correct degrees
• Easy to get in & out of base with sleeping baby
• The fact that it is a carrier – easy to transport baby in & out of vehicle when running errands etc.
• Easy to adjust harness to the correct positioning
• Easy to clean and remove the fabrics

What I don’t like about it:

• It’s only used for about the first six months of the baby’s life
• That the harness does not adjust easily when putting baby in and taking baby out – it adjusts at the back of the seat
• Can get heavy to carry as baby gets older

Evenflo Triumph 2 – in – 1

What I like about it:

• Extremely easy to get baby/child in and out of seat – knob on the side of seat to tighten harness and a release button to loosen off
• Quite large and comfortable for baby/child
• Easy to adjust harness to the correct positioning
• Easy to move from rear facing to forward facing positions

What I don’t like about it:

• It is only good up to 40 lbs
• Difficult to remove the fabrics for cleaning

Eddie Bauer 3 – in – 1

What I like about it:

• That it is a 3 – in – 1, can be used rear facing, forward facing and as a booster
• Base is easy to remove

What I don’t like about it:

• It’s very large in rear facing position – it didn’t fit rear facing in our truck
• Difficult to adjust harness to the correct positioning
• The harness does not adjust easily when getting child in & out of seat
• Doesn’t seem comfortable for the child – in fact my son often complains

When our third child arrives I will be taking our mini-van in to the local RCMP detachment to make sure that all three seats are installed correctly.  I have never used an “H” clip when installing our car seats, I’ve always used the UAS systems to install our car seats, but our vehicle only has 2 sets of base UAS anchors.  So we will have to install one seat with an “H” clip, which is why I’m going into the RCMP detachment to make sure that they are installed correctly.

Hopefully you found some of this information valuable.  The more we travel in our vehicles, the more important car seat safety becomes, our risk of collision increases each time we travel.