Car accidents are the #1 killer of children ages 1-14.

Yet 3 out of 4 people use their car seats incorrectly, even though using a child restraint properly can reduce the risk of death by up to 71% in a crash.

That’s why we got together with Child Passenger Safety Technician Kristen Gardiner, to provide you with the definitive guide for car seat safety.

Please read the guide and share it with other parents you know.

You may save a child’s life.

Between 72 and 84 percent of child restraints have shown critical misuses.
These basic misuses significantly increase your child’s risk of bodily injury during a motor vehicle accident.

In this case, what you don’t know, could potentially harm your child.

The bottom line: It’s been stated that up to 96 percent of parents believe they use their child’s car seat safely — when related injury stats show otherwise.

A lack of education and awareness could result in the unthinkable.  That’s why you need to know for sure whether or not your child is sitting in the right car seat and whether that seat is being used properly.

It is time to get the facts straight.

These stats will make you rethink your child’s current car seat, as well as your approach to their ultimate safety. When you take a proactive approach, you could potentially save your child’s life:

• When using a car seat, you reduce the risk of an infant’s death by 71%

• When not misused, child restraints reduce the risk of death among children aged 2-6 by 28%, compared to seat belts

• Between 75% and 90% of car seats are not used properly — this is a MAJOR issue

• Most parents do not understand the impact a collision can have on a child’s neck, significantly increasing the risk of fatality.

The good news?

Although preventable injuries and deaths still occur, as seat belt safety has improved, the number of children who are killed or injured has decreased since the 1970s — but there’s still far too many parents that do not understand the importance of car seat safety.

Just remember, when you take the right steps, you can significantly reduce your child’s risk of injury.
It’s important for moms and dads to discuss this issue and bring light to the subject — as it could save a life.

Take, for example, Rachel McNamara, a mom whose picture went viral after showing the importance of proper car safety

Knowing some of the facts about what happens in a crash will help you understand:

• why car seats are designed in a certain way

• what kind of car seat is best for your child

• how to install and use your seat properly

• why it is critical to install and use it properly

However, if you find this chapter too technical, feel free to skip to the next chapter and find out whether you are using the correct car seat.

While riding in a car, our bodies travel at the same speed as the car. The vehicle and our bodies will continue to travel at that same speed until some type of force is applied to stop us.

In a crash, the vehicle is stopped abruptly by an external force such as another vehicle or object on the road. Those riding in the car will continue traveling at the original speed until something stops them.  That something will apply a force on their body.

The amount of force it will take to stop a person in the car can be approximated by multiplying their weight by the speed they are going.

For example, a 20-pound child traveling 30 miles per hour can have up to 600 pounds of force applied to their body to stop them.

600 pounds of force can cause serious damage, and that’s why we need safety mechanisms.

The goal of the car seat is to reduce the force on your child and spread it out  across the strongest parts of their body.

The goal of car seats, seat belts, and other safety features in vehicles is to:

1. reduce this force by extending the amount of time it takes for our body to come to a complete stop and

2. to spread out the remaining force across the strongest parts of the body.

That’s why you must always refer to your car seat’s manual and ensure that the seat is secure.

Don’t know how? Don’t worry — we will get into all of this, plus more, later in this guide.

To visualize the difference in how an unrestrained person and a properly restrained person experience the impact of a collision, consider the everyday activity of jumping on a trampoline or a rebounder.

When a person comes into contact with the surface of the trampoline, it stretches and slows their fall until they come to a temporary stop before bouncing back up. Car seats and seat belts are designed to move in a specific way similar to this stretching motion.

On the other hand, if a person jumping on the trampoline falls or jumps to the ground instead, their fall is stopped abruptly and increases the chance of injury. (That’s why we recommend you use the safest trampoline in your own home).

This type of impact is what we are trying to avoid.

Seat belts were designed to distribute and direct stopping forces to the strongest parts of our body (sternum, shoulder, pelvis). However, seat belts are designed for adults and children won’t experience the same benefits of a regular seat belt that adults will.

SUMMARY: Remember to ALWAYS do the following:

• Use the right seat — pay attention to all aspects as featured throughout this guide. You need to be aware of your child’s height, weight, and age — as this will determine their skeletal development.

• Check for any potential up-to-date recalls + read BOTH your vehicle and car seat manual.

• Make sure the seat is secure — after you install your child’s car seat, the seat itself should NOT move more than 1 inch front-to-back — or side-to-side. Be patient and make sure the seat is secure.

• Make sure the harness is tight — once the seat is secure, you need to make your child is secure as well. When positioned in their harness, you should not be able to grab any loose fabric on the straps by their shoulders. Also, be aware of the harness height — the chest clip should always be at armpit level.

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