Common Questions on Car Seat Safety
Ashley Costas | Child Passenger Safety Technician &
Injury Prevention Specialist for McLeod Safe Kids Pee Dee Coastal
“When can I turn my child around to face the front?”
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should remain rear-facing
until they are 2 years old. Studies have shown that children who are rear-facing this
long are 75% less likely to sustain serious or fatal injuries in a car accident. According
to the South Carolina State Law, however, you may turn your child around once they
have reached both one year of age and a weight of 20 pounds.
“What is the safest car seat? Which one should I get for my car?”
There is not one seat that has been deemed “the safest.” Research which seat
is going to fit your needs the best by considering the type of car you have, how
many car seats you need to fit into one car, which seat you can install properly
every time, and the one that fits your child’s size. Remember to reference the car
manual as well as the car seat manual to ensure that both work together properly.
“How frequently should you tighten the seat?”
At least once a week you should check your car seat and make sure that the seat
belt or LATCH system is not loose. Grab you car seat near the belt path and try to
shift the seat from side to side. It should not move more than one inch. If it does,
it should be tightened.
“Where in the car is my child the safest?”
The center of the car is the safest place for a child. If you have multiple children,
the youngest child should be placed in the center of the back seat. However,
check your car’s manual. Not all cars are equipped to safely install a child safety
seat in the center of the back seat.
For more information on where you can get your child’s safety seat
inspected, please contact McLeod Safe Kids at (843) 777-5021. Also,
don’t forget to like us on Facebook at McLeod Safe Kids.
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“Should I use the seat belt or the LATCH system for my car seat?”
The lower anchors and tether, or LATCH, is a great system to use, but so is the seat
belt. One is truly just as safe as the other, but they should never be used together.
If you choose to use the LATCH system, be sure to review the owner’s manual of
your vehicle. The LATCH system has a weight capacity, so you will need to know
the weight of both the seat and your child so that the combined weight is not
greater than the capacity. If the weight is not specified in the owner’s manual,
40 pounds is the recommended weight to stop using the LATCH system.
“When can my child get out of their car seat?”
Every seat comes with stickers on the seat showing the weight capacity for that
particular seat. If your child does not fit in their current seat by height or weight,
then it is time to move to a new seat. For a child to sit safely in a vehicle seat alone,
the child’s knees must bend naturally over the edge of the seat while they maintain
contact with the back portion of the vehicle seat without slouching. Next, when they
buckle the seat belt, the lap portion sits snugly against their hip bones, not their
abdomen, and the shoulder belt lays against their collar bone, not their neck. The
child must remain sitting straight and not slouch. The recommendation of 4’9” and
80 pounds is a good guideline to follow for children moving out of booster seats and
into vehicle seats. Children under the age of 13 should not be in the front seat.
“What position over the shoulders should I have my child’s harness?”
If your child is rear-facing, the harness straps should be at or below the child’s
shoulders. When they are facing forward in the car, you want to make sure that the
straps are at or above their shoulder. Use the closest slot to obtain this placement.
You also want to make sure the straps are tight enough by the “pinch test,” which
involves using your pointer finger and thumb to try to pinch, or pick up, any of
the strap’s webbing. If you do, the harness is not tight enough. After ensuring the
harness is tight across your child, also make sure the chest clip is at armpit level.
This ensures that your child does not slip out of the top of the seat in the event of
an accident.
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