Do Child Car Seats Save Lives?

Yes, a properly installed car seat can save your child’s life. Auto crashes rank high on the list of causes of child mortality and injury. The United States government has made using a car seat law for parents in the country.

Being a parent means placing a high premium on your child’s safety. Installing a car seat is one way to guarantee your child has a better chance of coming out of a car crash unhurt or with minor injuries. This article will provide you with information on all you need to know about car seats.

Why are Child Car Seats Important?

You probably have heard a lot about car seats and are wondering just how important they are. Child car seats are essential for your child’s safety; in fact, they are among the essential items you should purchase for your kids. A despairing statistic holds that one in three children who die due to motor vehicle crashes are unrestrained.

A properly installed and positioned child car seat can reduce the risk of death and severe bodily harm in the event of an auto crash by a whopping 70%. In babies younger than one year, the use of car seats reduces mortality by 71%.Center For Disease Control

Compared to using only a seatbelt, child car seats reduced the risk of injury by a significant 54% in children between the ages of one to four. While in children aged 4-8 years, car seats reduced the mortality risk by 45%. With the ever-climbing rate of car crashes, a child car seat is simply a must. American SPCC

What Should I Consider When Buying a Child Car Seat?

Now that you have realized the importance of a car seat to your child’s safety, we are sure you are led to purchase one. But first, there are factors you must consider before buying your child’s car seat. While we recommend buying a child car seat for your baby, we also advise you get the right one.

Some factors to consider while buying your child car seat include:

• The age and weight of your child
• Your vehicle type – it is important to get a car seat that suits your type of car. Not all car seats are suitable for your vehicle.
• The car seat’s expiration date – car seats, like all other items, come with an expiration date. Most have a range of six years. If you plan on getting a used car seat, make sure it is within the six-year expiration period. You will find the expiration date on the car seat sticker.
• Make sure the manufacturer hasn’t recalled the model you intend to get.

How Can I Install A Car Seat?

While car seats reduce your child’s risk of being seriously harmed in the event of a vehicular collision, they must be properly installed. Don’t be part of the eight in ten parents who have their car seats installed wrongly.

If the child’s car seat is not installed the right way, your child will still run the high risk of being severely injured and even killed in a car crash. If you are not confident enough to install the car seat yourself, you should visit the car seat inspection center around you. These centers have safety seat experts that will install your car seats properly in no time.

Be sure to read the manufacturers’ manual for instructions on how to couple and install your car seat if you decide to do it yourself.

• Installing the child’s car seat base will make it easy for you to get the car seat in and out of your car. To install the base, you will need to set the car seat base in the middle seat of your car.
• Secure the base of your child’s car seat to your vehicle using your vehicle’s seat belt. You should pass the seat belt through the “path” indicated on the car seat base. Lock in the seat belt by pulling it out then releasing it. You should hear a sound to show it has locked.
• Next, please make sure the car seat base is securely fastened such that it doesn’t move out of place. To do this, tighten the seat belt by keeping one hand on the seat base while the other holds the seat belt’s shoulder strap. Then pull the seat belt slack while simultaneously pushing down the base.
• Alternatively, you can secure the base of the car seat with a lower anchor. Be sure to make sure it doesn’t move more than an inch when you move it forward and backward and the sides.
• Please make sure the car seat base is tight when you buckle it. It should not move more than an inch when wiggled. If it gives more than one inch way when you wiggle it, it is not tight enough. You will need to tighten it more.
• Install the car seat to the base. You can do this by placing the seat right on the base of the car seat. Make sure your car seat faces the rear of your car; this is the safest position for your child.

Once you have installed your car seat successfully, it is paramount that you have it inspected. This inspection will be done at a car seat inspection center. If you need help locating one around your vicinity, log into the national highway traffic safety website. Once you have typed in your correct zip code, you can access a list of inspection centers around you.

Conclusion

A child car seat can save your child’s life if you are involved in a car crash. The car seat is an important investment in your child’s life. A whopping 71% of babies involved in an auto accident can be saved by simply being in a properly installed car seat.(source)