Feds Want New Side-Crash Tests for Child Carseats

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lydever91

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Feds Want New Side-Crash Tests For Child Car Seats - Forbes

Here, according to AAA Chicago, are the 12 most common mistakes parents make with regard to child car seats:

  1. Moving a child out of a booster seat too soon. Seatbelts are designed to restrain adults, not children. Depending on the child’s physical development, a seat belt won’t fit properly until he or she is between the ages of eight and 12.
  2. Not installing the seat tightly enough. A kid’s seat shouldn’t slide front-to-back or side-to-side, and there shouldn’t be more than an inch of “wiggle room” in the seat belt.
  3. Harness straps are too loose. Child seat straps should be straight and flat and adjusted tightly enough to fully restrain a child in a crash.
  4. The harness retainer clip is set too low. This should be set at armpit level for proper restraint.
  5. Moving a baby into a forward-facing seat prematurely.
  6. Allowing a child under 13 to ride in the front seat.
  7. Neglecting the top tether. This secures a forward facing seat to the car and keeps the top of the seat from moving forward in a crash when a child’s head and neck could otherwise snap forward with excessive force.
  8. Adding padding, toys or mirrors to a car seat. Such products may interfere with the seat’s performance or could come loose and become hazardous projectiles in a collision.
  9. Installing a car seat via a vehicle’s built-in “LATCH” (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, required in all models since 2002) in the center position, when it is otherwise not approved by the automaker – check the owner’s manual for details.
  10. Carrying unsecured items – including pets – in the vehicle. Again, these can become injury-inflicting projectiles under sudden braking.
  11. Installing a car seat using both a car’s LATCH connection and a seatbelt. The AAA says parents should use one method but not both, as they often work against each other in a crash.
  12. Allowing children to wear bulky coats while secured in a car seat. This can create undue slack in the harness system – it’s better to place blankets over kids in the car for warmth.