Learn How to Correctly Use Car and Booster Seats, Safety Belts During Child Passenger Safety Week

Child Passenger Safety Week - which runs from September 20 to 26 - is a great time for caregivers to learn the correct way to use car seats, booster seats, and seat belts to keep children safe while traveling in a vehicle.

The Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project has provided a fact sheet that shows the correct way for children to be placed in rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.

Rear-Facing Car Seats

Children should ride rear-facing until at least 2 years of age or until they outgrow their rear-facing car seat by height or weight. A rear-facing seat is considered the safest because it spreads crash forces across a child’s body and the back of the car seat, cradling the head, neck, and back. Plus, it is more convenient for placing in and out of the car.

When installing the seat, make sure it does not move more than an inch side to side or front to back. It should be at the recline angle specified by the car seat manufacturer. If you use a latch, the seat should be in a vehicle seat position allowed by the vehicle manual and car seat instructions. It should never be placed in front of an air bag.

To adjust the harness, tighten it so it is snug with no slack. The chest clip should be placed at armpit level, and harness slots should be at or below a child’s shoulders.

Forward-Facing Car Seats

Children should ride forward-facing when they are over 2 years of age and have outgrown the weight or height limits of the rear-facing car seat. They should remain in the forward-facing harness until the highest height or weight allowed by the car seat.

For installation, make sure the car seat is in tight and does not move more than an inch from side to side or front to back. If you use lower anchors, be sure the child is within the weight allowed by the car seat manufacturer. The child’s head should be within the car seat’s shell.

To adjust the harness, tighten it so it is snug with no slack. The chest clip should be placed at armpit level, and harness slots should be at or above a child’s shoulders.

The seat’s tether limits the forward movement of the child in a crash. Caregivers should follow the vehicle manual’s instructions to locate tether anchors and use the tether with the seat belt or lower anchors.

The types of forward-facing car seats include:

• Forward-facing convertible: This seat goes from rear-facing to forward-facing, securing a child forward-facing once they have outgrown the rear-facing mode.

• Combination car seat: This seat is used forward-facing with a five-point harness; once the child outgrows the harness, it can be used as a booster seat.

• All-in-one seat: This seat can be used forward-facing, rear-facing, and then as a booster seat.

Booster Seats

Children ride in booster seats once they outgrow the weight or height limits of the forward-facing car seat and are at least 4 years of age. Booster seats position a child so the vehicle’s seat belt fits correctly over their body. Caregivers should always use the lap and shoulder belt to secure the child.

Booster seats are recommended because they lower the risk of injury by 45% among children ages 4 to 8 years when compared to a seat belt, which is designed for adults.

When adjusting the seat belt, make sure the shoulder belt lays across the center of the chest, while the lap belt lays across the upper thighs - not the stomach. The child should sit without slouching.

The types of booster seats include:

• High back: Supports a child’s head, neck, and spine, and provides side impact protection; may ease the transition from a car seat with a harness to a booster seat.

• Backless booster: Position the vehicle head restraint behind the child’s head; often used for older children before they transition to a seat belt.

Seat Belt Readiness

For a child to move from a booster seat to a seat belt, you must be able to say yes to all five of these items:

• The child’s back is against the vehicle seat; no slouching.

• Knees end at the front edge of the vehicle seat and feet are on the floor.

• The shoulder belt lays across the center of the shoulder and the center of the chest, not across the neck or arm.

• The lap belt lays across the upper thighs, never across the stomach.

• The child can remain in the correctly seated position for the entire trip.

For more information, check out the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project’s tip sheet. And find information about recalls on car seats on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website.