How many times have you heard someone say, “She’ll stop crying if I hold her on my lap" or “I’ll just hold onto him. We’re only going three blocks."

Even the most careful driver can’t control other drivers’ behaviors or eliminate the possibility of a crash. And the forces that occur during a crash make it impossible for anyone to “just hold on” to a child, even an infant.

THE SAD FACTS
Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death of children ages 3-6 and 8-14, according to the National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA). Every day in 2007, 5 children (aged 14 and under) were killed and 548 were injured in vehicle accidents.

Unrestrained or improperly restrained children are far more likely to suffer severe injuries or die in motor vehicle collisions than properly restrained children. The NTSA reports that child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (<1 year old) and 54 percent in toddlers (1-4 years old) in passenger cars. In light trucks, the numbers are 58 percent and 59 percent, respectively.

In 2007 an estimated 382 lives were saved by child restraint use. Had there been a 100 percent child safety seat use for children under age five, 453 children could have been saved.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT MY CHILD?
Properly installing a car seat or booster seat is essential. Properly installing car seats can be tricky (those who are certified to install car seats must pass a 40-hour course). Fortunately there are agencies that provide the service at no charge. Refer to the box above for local addresses and phone numbers. Note: Appointments often are booked 3 or 4 weeks out. It’s a good idea to have your child seat installed well before your due date so you’ll be ready to safely bring baby home from the hospital.

PROPER INSTALLATION AND USE
Proper use is as important as proper installation. Following are NHTA’s recommendations for safely securing your child, based on age and/or weight.

• Infants should ride in rear-facing seats as long as possible, at least until they are 12 months of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. The rear-facing car seat always should be in the back seat (a deployment of the front-seat passenger air bag can result in serious injury or death), preferably in the center of the back seat. The seat's harness strap should be routed through the harness slots that are at or slightly below the child’s shoulder level. When fastened, the harness clip should be snug and at armpit level. The seat should be inclined at a 45-degree angle and securely fastened in place, using a locking clip, if needed, to prevent movement.
• Children over one year of age and who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds should be placed in forward-facing child safety seats, also in the back seat, preferably in the middle of the back seat. The seat's harness strap should be routed through the harness slot at or slightly above shoulder level. Keep the harness straps snug and flat. When fastened, the harness clip should be at armpit level. The seat should be in an upright position and securely fastened to prevent movement. If the seat moves more than one-inch left to right or back to front, it’s too loose. In order to get a tight fit between the child restraint system and the vehicle seat, put your weight into the restraint system to compress the vehicle seat while tightening the seat belt as much as possible.
• Children over 40 pounds should be placed in a booster seat in the back seat, preferably in the middle of the seat. There are different types of booster seats available on the market. Depending on your child’s weight and height, you may need a high-back-style booster seat to properly protect your child.
• By around age 8, children can move to regular lap and shoulder belts. However, some vehicle restraint systems may not properly fit children weighing less than 80 pounds and who are less than 4 feet, 9 inches tall. In these instances, you may need to continue using a booster seat to properly protect your child.
• Regardless of the child restraint system used, all children ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat, preferably in the middle of the back seat. This eliminates the injury risk from deployed front passenger-side airbags, and places children in the safest part of the vehicle in the event of an accident. Riding in the back seat is associated with a 46 percent reduction in the risk of fatal injury in cars with a front passenger-side airbag and at least a 30 percent reduction in the risk of fatal injury in cars with no front passenger-side airbag.

For more information about child safety seats, visit the National Transportation Safety Administration website and/or the California Highway Patrol website.

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