Many Parents Fail at Car Seat Safety

Kids’ car seat safety is improving, but there are still areas of concern. This is according to information collected in 2009 and 2010 by Safe Kids USA. The group runs car seat check-up events across the country. Some data was promising. Nearly all seats were installed in the correct direction, rear facing or forward facing. Many children between 20 and 40 pounds were still rear facing, which is recommended by Safe Kids and the American Academy of Pediatrics. But seats that were installed with a seatbelt, rather than with LATCH, were often installed incorrectly. And most forward-facing seats did not use the top tether, which anchors the top of a car seat. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14. Proper use of car seats reduces the risk of a child’s death from a car crash by more than half.