For parents who’ve found themselves sticking rolled up blankets or a pool noodle under auto seats to make them fit, a new study has found that the DIY setup isn’t that unusual.
Advertisement
-Children ages 2 to 4 and weighing up to 40 pounds must be secured in a child-safety seat equipped with a five-point harness, either rear-facing (up to the height and weight limits of the seat) or forward-facing.
Youngsters between 4 and 8 who are less than 57 inches tall must be in a forward-facing seat or a booster seat.
– Once the child has exceeded the weight and height limit, they are eligible to use a regular seat belt. But that seat can face forward.
– A child can sit in the front seat of a vehicle if that vehicle does not have a back seat – such as a pick-up truck or a sports auto. “I don’t think a lot of people know about the new law”.
To choose the right auto seat for your child, Bing recommends parents measure the backseat of their vehicle before shopping, and compare seats with those measurements in mind.
Researchers noted they hope to share data points and assist with communication between child auto seat and vehicle manufacturers to ultimately improve designs.
Union County first launched the Child Safety Seat Inspection Program in 1999, in response to surveys showing that the overwhelming majority of child safety seats are improperly installed, even though most users are confident that they know the correct procedure.
Tether strap is overlooked: When a convertible seat is switched to the forward-facing position, it’s important for parents to realize there’s an additional strap they need to secure on the vehicle seat.
Using dimensions from 59 auto seat models and 61 vehicles, researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine analyzed almost 3,600 potential combinations. In sedans, the anchor is on the rear shelf; in SUVs, wagons and hatchbacks, it’s on the seatbacks or in the cargo-area. Boosters are designed to raise the child high enough to position the vehicle’s seat belt correctly.
Advertisement
A World Health Organization report showed that child restraints reduce the likelihood of a fatal crash by approximately 70 percent among infants and between 54 percent to 80 percent among young children.
