Expert advice to correct common car seat mistakes - WIBW

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TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - You want to keep your kids safe on the roads, but studies show 75- to 90-percent of car seats are used or installed incorrectly.

For a car seat to keep your child safe in a crash, it has to stay in place. Stormont Vail nurse manager Rachel Ault, RN says the most common error they see at car seat checkups is the seat not being installed tightly enough. Test it by giving it a wiggle at the belt path

“We don’t want it to move more than one inch side to side or front to back,” Ault said.

With the seat snapped into place, pay attention to how you buckle in your child.

“When they are rear facing, we’ll want those harness straps to be right at or just below their shoulders when they’re in the seat; when they turn around forward facing, it’s right at or just above the shoulders,” Ault said. “Then, we always want that chest clip to be right at their armpit level, or their nipple level. We want it right above the sternum because that’s the sturdiest part of their chest.”

As for whether the harness is tight enough, Ault says to give it the ‘pinch test’

“You just kind of run your fingers over it, and if you can pinch any of the webbing, then it’s too loose. But if your fingers just slide off, it’s tight enough,” she said.

Ault says keep your child in the rear-facing seat as long as possible, following the seat’s height and weight requirements. Children will typically make the move to a forward-facing seat around age two. Ault reminds parents the forward-facing seats will have an extra tether, attaching to the floor or back of a seat, which offers extra restraint against forward force in a wreck.

Again, Aults says, to keep your child in the forward-facing seat as long as the seat requirements allow. After that, children will still need a boost from a booster seat. Smaller bodies still don’t fit the regular seat belt properly, which could put children at risk for internal injuries.

“(The booster seat) boosts their body up a little bit so the seat belt goes across their hips and not their tummy,” Ault said, adding it also will move the belt strap between the child’s neck and shoulder, not crossing their neck or face.

All are precautions aimed at ensuring your precious cargo is as safe as possible.

“We’ve seen what happens in crashes when kids are not restrained versus when they are restrained and it incredibly reduces their risk of injury and death,” Ault said.

Safe Kids and Stormont Vail are hosting a free car seat checkup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Mission Township Fire Dept., 3101 SW Urish Rd. Participants should plan to take about a half hour while experts look over your seat and installation. Organizers request no more than two adults per vehicle, and everyone should wear a face mask.

Copyright 2021 WIBW. All rights reserved.

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