SafeTips
Driving: Child-Safety Car Seats

Four out of five child-safety car seats are used incorrectly. Here's how to make sure your kids are fully protected and that you are buckling them up correctly.

1. Infants should ride in rear-facing seats as long as possible, at least until they are 12 months old and weigh at least 20 pounds.

• Never put a rear-facing seat in a front seat that is equipped with a passenger air bag.
• Keep harness straps snug. Fasten the harness clip at armpit level.
• Recline the seat so the child's head can rest flat against the shell.
• Make sure the handle is in the right position.
• Route the harness straps in the harness slots that are at or slightly below shoulder level.

2. For kids over 1 year old and who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds, it's time for a front-facing child-safety seat.

• Fasten the harness clip at armpit level.
• Route the harness straps in the harness slots at or slightly above shoulder level.
• Keep harness traps snug and flat.
• Keep the seat upright.

• These seats position the installed lap belt over the child's hips and upper thighs, and the shoulder belt across the chest and shoulder.
• These seats require both lap and shoulder belts to be effective.
• If you car has a back seat that is lower than the child's ears, you need to get a high-back-style booster seat to protect the child's neck.

4. By around age 8, kids can move to regular lap and shoulder belts.

• They must be tall enough to sit back against the seat with their knees bent over the edge.
• Never let the child sit with the shoulder belt under their arms or behind their back.

5. The back seat is usually the safest place for a child to ride.

7. Be sure to send in your child-safety-seat registration, so that you can be notified if the seat is recalled. Visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov, or call 888-DASH-2-DOT.

8. Replace any seat that has been involved in a crash.

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