Car Seats 101
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of kids in age groups 1-14. While some crashes are unsurvivable, over 57% of deaths for children 0-15 were because the child was unrestrained. Many more were improperly restrained. Nationally, the misuse rate for child safety seats is over 80% and as high as 95% in some areas. However there is some good news, correct use of car seats and boosters does save lives! Infant seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71% and toddler seats by 54%.
Types of car safety seats at a glance
| Age | Type of Seat | General Guideline |
| Infants | Infant only and rear-facing convertible | All infants should always ride rear-facing until they are 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds |
| Toddlers/Preschoolers | Convertible, combination, and forward facing | Children 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds can ride forward facing. It is best to ride rear -facing as long as possible |
| School-aged children | Booster | Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward facing car safety seats. Children should stay in a booster seat until the adult seat belts fit correctly. Usually when a child reaches about 4’9” in height and between 8 and 12 years of age. |
| Older children | Seat belts | Children who have outgrown their booster seats should ride in a lap and shoulder belt; they should ride in the back seat until 13 years of age |
Infant's rear-facing
There are two types of rear-facing car safety seats:
- Infant-only seats are small and have carrying handles also many come with a base that can be left in the car
- Convertible seats can be used rear-facing then “converted” to forward facing-for older children, these do not have handles or a base
Installation tips for rear-facing seats:
- Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle
- If your rear-facing seat has more than one set of harness slots, make sure the harnesses are in the slots at or below your babies shoulders
- If you are using a convertible seat in the rear-facing position, make sure the seat belt is routed through the correct belt path (check the seats manual)
- If your vehicle was made after 2002 it may come with the LATCH system. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. These are designed for car seat installation and when used seatbelts are no longer necessary to install the car seat. Consult your owner’s manual to identify the correct attachments to use and the location of the anchors.
- Make sure the seat is at the correct angle so your infant’s head does not flop forward
- Be sure the car safety seat is installed tightly. If you can move the seat more than an inch side to side or front to back it is not tight enough
Toddlers and preschoolers forward-facing
There are five types of car safety seats that can be used forward facing:
- Convertible seats: convert from rear-facing to forward-facing
- Forward facing toddler seats: these can be used for children who weigh 40 to 80 pounds and have a harness
- Combination forward-facing/booster seats: can be used forward-facing with a harness for children who weight 40 to 65 pounds or without the harness as a booster 80 to 100 pounds
- Built-in seats: read your vehicle owners manual
- Travel vests: these are worn by children between 20 and 168 pounds and can be an alternative to traditional forward-facing seats. They are also useful when a vehicle has lap-only seat belts in the rear
Installation tips for forward-facing seats:
- Make sure the car safety seat is installed tightly in the vehicle and the harness fits the child snugly
- Converting rear to forward-facing:
- Move the shoulder straps to the slots that are at or above your child’s shoulders
- Adjust the reclining angle of the seat
- Make sure the seatbelt runs through the forward-facing belt path
- LATCH system:
- New forward facing car safety seats come with tethers(straps) these attach to the top of the car safety seat and to an anchor point in your vehicle (2002 or older vehicles)
School-aged children in booster seats
Booster seats are designed to raise the child up so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. A child has outgrown his forward-facing seat when one of the following is true:
- They reach the top weight /height allowed for their seat with a harness
- Their shoulders are above the top harness slots
- Their ears have reached the top of the seat
Installation tips for booster seats:
- The lap belt lies low and snug across the child’s upper thighs
- The shoulder belt crosses the middle of your child’s chest and shoulder
Older children seat belts
A child should stay in a booster seat until adult seat belts fit correctly, this means:
- The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat
- The lap belt is low and snug across the upper thighs, not the belly
- Your child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with knees bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip
Seat belt helpful tips:
- Make sure your child does not tuck the shoulder belt under their arm or behind their back
- Never allow anyone to “share” seat belts, all passengers must have their own car safety seats or seat belts
Car Safety Seat Inspection Stations in Utah
The below listed website is a link to all of the child safety seat inspection stations in the state of Utah:
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/FindFitting.cfm