Child Safety Seats

Amity Insurance Company issued the following suggestions for child safety in vehicles. Thanks to them for this good advice.

Infants should ride in rear-facing child safety seats for as long as possible, according to pediatricians and safety experts, and not be switched to a forward-facing seat until he or she is both one-year-old and weighs 20 pounds or more.

A child at least one-year-old and weighing 20 or more pounds can ride in a forward-facing seat until tall enough so that his or her ears are level with the top of the seatback, shoulders go beyond the top-most harness slots or until the child has reached the seat’s weight limit, as specified by the seat’s manufacturer. Forward-facing seats typically have a weight limit of 40 pounds.

Once a child is too large for a forward-facing seat, he or she should be switched to a booster seat. The average child moves to a booster seat at age four. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a child should continue rising in a booster seat until eight years old or 4’9” tall.

When a child is large enough to stop riding in a booster seat, he or she should then ride in the backseat of the vehicle until at least 13 years old, and wear a lap and shoulder seat belt at all times, as should everyone in the vehicle.

To ensure that your child’s safety seat is installed correctly, locate a child safety seat expert in your area by visiting www.nhatsa.gov or www.seatcheck.org for a list of certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.