Every year, thousands of children are tragically injured or killed in vehicle crashes. In fact, collisions are the leading cause of death for children ages one to thirteen. Unfortunately, in our line of work we routinely encounter folks who have been seriously injured in automobile or tractor-trailer collisions. These incidents are often heartbreaking. But nothing is more upsetting than when a collision involves injuries to a child. Statistics shows that road injuries are the leading cause of preventable deaths and injuries to children in the United States, but correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent.
As the father of a seven-year-old, I thought we were past the days of bulky car seats and five-point harnesses for her. However, I recently learned how wrong I was. Apparently I am not alone, as
73 percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly! For those of us with children, we understand how much time our kids spend in vehicles. So it's always a good idea to periodically review child car seat laws and guidelines to make certain that we, as caregivers, are doing right by our children, no matter their age, every time we put them in the car. What follows are some handy tips:
1. Seatbelts Are the Law.
W.Va. Code 17C-15-49 makes it unlawful for a person to operate a passenger vehicle on a public street or highway unless all front seat passengers and back seat passengers under 18 are restrained by a seat belt.
W.Va. Code 17C-15-46 requires every child under the age of eight to be in a child passenger safety device that meets applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.
These are primary laws, meaning you can be pulled over and cited if you or your child are not belted.
More importantly, however, keep in mind that these laws set minimum standards for child car safety. To keep your child as safe as possible, please remain mindful of the following guidelines.
2. Choose the Appropriate Child Seat.
| Age Group | Type of Seat | General Guidelines |
| Infants/Toddlers | Infant seats and rear-facing convertible seats | All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Seat until they are two-years-old or until they reach the highest weight and height allowed by their car seat's manufacturer. |
| Toddlers/Preschoolers | Convertible seats and forward-facing seats with five-point harnesses | All children two years or older, or those younger than two years who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their car safety seat, should use a Forward-Facing Car Safety Seat with a five-point harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the safety seat's manufacturer. |
| School-aged children | Booster seats | All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their care safety seat should use a Belt-Positioning Booster Seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between eight and twelve years of age. |
| Older children | Seat belts | When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use Lap and Shoulder Seat Belts for optimal protection.
All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the Rear Seats of vehicles for optimal protection |
3. Install the Seat Properly.
- The seat you choose must be appropriate for your child's age, height and weight.
- The seat must fit as tightly as possible in your vehicle and not move more than one inch from side to side and front to back.
- Child seats go in the back seat only.
- Not all child seats are the same. Refer to the manufacturer's instructions (you can almost always find them online if you have a hand-me-down seat) for weight limits, proper use and installation.
- Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check your car seat manual). Place the chest clip at armpit level. Then pinch the strap at your child's shoulder. Your harness is properly tight if you are unable to pinch any excess webbing.
- Avoid seats that are too old. Most manufacturers recommend replacing any seat over six years old or seats that have been involved in a significant crash.
Although this all seems simple enough, in my experience proper installation can be deceptively difficult and maddeningly frustrating. I can't tell you how many times we were late for appointments as new parents because of car seat installation problems. I became better with time and effort, but it was no picnic at first. Even now, it can still be a time-consuming endeavor when dealing with a different car or a different seat, but proper installation is way too important not to make the effort to get it right. Fortunately, there organizations like Safe Kids, who sponsor more than 8,000 car seat inspection events across the country each year.
4. Buckle Your Children
Every Time.
It seems incredible to me that any parent, grandparent, or caregiver in this day and age would skip the 30 or fewer seconds it takes to appropriately secure a child, but
studies have shown that 20 percent of parents with graduate degrees (versus 10 percent with high school diplomas) think it's acceptable not to buckle their children when they are in a hurry and one in three affluent parents (defined as annual income over $100,000) think it's okay not to buckle their children if they are not traveling far. These are major fallacies. Statistics show that 60 percent of crashes involving children occur less than 10 minutes from home. In 2011, in cases involving child deaths, a staggering 33 percent of those children were not buckled properly. The fact is that there is no excuse for not buckling a child the right way, every single time you start the engine.
Although attention is focused on this issue during a week in September, we would do well to remain diligent about child car safety year-round. By following these tips, you can ensure that your child has the best possible opportunity to avoid injury and walk away from an unfortunate collision.
