Car Seat Safety Guidelines

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Installing and using children's car safety seats can be a frustrating experience. Part of the problem is the total number of car seats designed by different companies, the variation in the types of cars themselves, and the actual size and age of your child as it corresponds to the type of car seat options you have to select from.

So always read the instruction booklet that comes with your car seat. If you loose it, call the manufacturer (look for name and phone number on the car seat) and request another one. Also refer to your car owners manual for directions of installation features. Or car your car dealer to get additional support if your car is relativelty recent model and still under warrenty.

Also, do not buy used car seats. You have no history on how the seat was used and essential parts can be missing or damaged. To find out if your car seat is part of a recall, check out the NHTSA website.

For information on selecting and using the most appropriate car safety seats for grown children, view the information available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Additional information can also be found at SafetyBeltSafeUSA.

While the new California law says a child should be in an appropriate child-safety-restraint until age 6 or 60 pounds, the reality is that most children should use a booster until they are eight years old or have reached a height of at least 4feet 9 inches. The following 5-Step Test will show you when a child is ready to graduate from a booster into the regular auto seat.

The 5-Step Test
1. Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer is "no" to any of these questions, the child needs a booster seat to ride safely in the car.

80 to 90% of car-seats are installed incorrectly in automobiles. To have the car-seat installation checked by a NHTSA-certified technician, make an appointment at one of the following fitting stations in Marin County:

Mill Valley Police Department with Officer Sheryl Patton @ 389-4100x.124
California Highway Patrol in Corte Madera @924-1100
San Anselmo Police Department with Sue Severin @ 258-4610

This information is current as of September 22, 2003