As reported in the Washington Post, AAA child safety experts recently identified the 12 most common car-seat mistakes parents make and corrective actions for each. The list includes:
1. Moving a child out of a booster seat too soon. Children may sustain abdominal or chest injuries if they use an adult seat belt prematurely.
Remedy: Do not transition a child out of a booster seat until he or she is between age 8 and 12 and tall enough to sit with his or her back against the seat, knees bent at the seat edge, and feet touching the floor.
2. Not properly tightening car seats during installation. A child is vulnerable to greater crash forces if the seat belt or anchor connection is too loose.
Remedy: Tighten the seat so that it does not move more than one inch in any direction when tested at the belt path.
3. Using loose harness straps. Loose harnesses will not properly restrain a child in a crash.
Remedy: Make sure the harness straps are not twisted and lay flat. When fastened, it should not be possible to pinch any extra harness material at the child’s shoulder.
4. Placing the retainer or chest clip too low. If the retainer clip, which is designed to keep the child in the seat in a crash or sudden stop, is too low, the child may come out of the harness or suffer abdominal injuries.
Remedy: Fasten the retainer clip at the child’s armpit level.
5. Turning a child face-forward too soon. A child who rides facing forward before age two is vulnerable to head, neck, and spinal cord injuries.
Remedy: A child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the upper weight and height limits the car seat manufacturer recommends.
6. Allowing children under age 13 to ride in the front seat. Most children under age 13 are too small to sit in the front seat and may be seriously injured by the car’s airbags in a crash.
Remedy: Children 12 and under should sit properly restrained in the back seat.
Click here to read the remaining car-seat mistakes and remedies on AAA’s list.
