Child Passenger Safety Week: September 16-22, 2012

In the U.S., more children ages 5 to 19 are injured or die from crash-related injuries than from any other cause. (CDC) The best way to protect children in the car is to put them in the right seat, at the right time, and use it the right way. Using a car seat that is installed properly can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% and hospitalization by 67%. If car seats aren't installed correctly, they are significantly less effective at reducing injuries. Several studies have estimated car seat installation errors at 73 - 94%. Installation problems are common because car seats are complicated to install, especially since both car seat designs and car designs vary. If you're not confident your child's safety seat is installed correctly, visit your nearest car seat inspection facility and have a Certified Technician inspect your car seat.

Also remember, the new car seat law in California states children must be 8 years old OR at least 4 feet 9 inches tall to ride without a belt-positioning booster seat. However, since the research behind the law was based on the height of the child, it is safest to leave your child in a belt positioning booster until they reach 4 feet 9 inches.

California law also states infants can be placed in forward facing car seats at 1 year of age, however muscles needed to compensate for the impact in a head-on collision do not become strong enough until about two years of age. Therefore, the Academy of Pediatrics recommends infants be kept rear-facing until their second birthday.

Remember car seats expire after 6-8 years.
NHTSA provides recall information for car seats.

Visit the California Highway Patrol website for more information: