Car Seats 101

Car Seats can be very confusing to parents...which one do you buy?....Is it properly installed?....When can you change the position? The truth is a car seat used in the proper manner can be the difference between life and death in a motor vehicle accident for our kids. According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA) remains the #1 cause of accidental deaths of children including adolescents. When a car seat is improperly used the chance of serious injury and death in an MVA drastically increases and it doesn't take much for improper use to occur.

Just a few weeks ago a 10 month old baby girl was ejected from her car seat in a roll over MVA when her mother over corrected while driving on Lake Wheeler road in Raliegh. In this case, the child's straps were too loose and as a result she died at the scene of the accident from her injuries.

The straps of a car seat should be tight enough that you can only place two fingers between the child and the straps. In addition, the buckle should be at the level of the nipple line on the child. If either one of those two elements are incorrect, the child can come out of the car seat during a MVA.

The NCDOT has straight forward information about the use of car seats as well as the current NC laws. The link below provides access to the NCDOT's pocket card which is a great quick reference for this information.

http://www.ncdot.org/programs/GHSP/download/CPSPocketCard10.pdf

The other part to car seat safety is proper vehicle installation and every car is different. Follow the instructions for your vehicle and your seat. Another quick and easy thing to do to double check your car seat's installation is to utilize your local fire department. Fire department personel can have a specific training for car seat safety called Child Passenger Safety. Not all fire department personel have this certification so it is important to find someone in your area with this qualification. The link below provides the ability to search for CPS certified individuals and events. If you choose to utilize the fire department, typically all you have to do is go to a local station and ask for someone to check your seat. It is very easy and most of them are happy to help.

http://www.buckleupnc.org/contacts_local.cfm

On July 13th, the office I work in is hosting an event with our local fire department where they will be available to check anyone's car seat who is interested. The event is open to the public and if you would like more information please contact me directly.

One last element to this confusion is this year the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) changed its recommendations for the use of car seats in infants. Previously, they recommended that a child may change from a rear facing position to the forward facing position at the age of 1 year AND a weight of 20 lbs. The AAP changed their recommendation to keeping the child rear facing until the age of 2 years OR until the child exceeds to maximum weight for the rear facing seat. The reason for this change is related to the ability of the child to protect their head, neck, and spine during a MVA. Children who remain rear facing until 2 years have suffered less fatalities according to the AAP. The law however in NC remains that you may change your child to a forward facing position at 1 year AND 20 lbs. Most likely, the law will change in time with the AAP's recommendations and I encourage you to watch for those legislative changes from the NCDOT.