Child Safety Restraints

Child Safety Restraints are designed to provide the extra protection that children need due to their small stature and underdeveloped musculoskeletal systems. They work to allow the child's body to stop as the vehicle is slowing, reducing the forces on the child's body and preventing contact with hard surfaces inside the vehicle, with other occupants, the road, and other vehicles. Child Safety Seats act to spread crash forces over a broad area of the body. They reduce forces on particular parts of the body and distribute those forces to the strongest part of the skeleton- the hips, back, and shoulders.

The Types:
Infant Seats: Designed specifically for babies from birth until at least 20 pounds and one year of age. Infants must ride rear-facing in these seats until they are the appropriate size/age to move to the next level.
Convertible Safety Seats: These seats convert from rear-facing to forward-facing for toddlers weighing at least 20 pounds. Children should remain in a forward-facing seat until they reach approximately 40 pounds and four years of age.
Booster Seats: These seats are used as a transition seat for children who have outgrown their convertible seats but are not quite ready for a seat belt alone.
Safety Belts: Children can be moved out of booster seats once they are old enough and large enough to "fit" an adult safety belt. The lap belt should fit snugly across the upper thighs and the shoulder strap should cross over the shoulder and across the chest.

Always read the vehicle owner's manual and the car seat instructions carefully. The best car seat is the one that fits the child, fits the vehicle, and is one that you will be able to install and use properly in every instance. Consulting your owner's manual will let you know if you need to use a locking clip or other equipment to properly secure the seat, so it cannot move around. If properly installed, child safety seats reduce the risk of infant death by 69% and toddler death by 47%.

Children should always ride in the back seat. The farther they are from the front of the vehicle, (the most common point of impact), the safer they will be. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are a third fewer fatalities to children who ride in the back seat. If a child must be seated in the front seat, always move the vehicle seat as far back as possible, especially if the vehicle has a passenger-side air bag.