Car Seat Safety

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Safe Kids Three Rivers

Safe Kids Three Rivers is a group of organizations within our community who joined together to help raise public awareness on preventable childhood "accidents".

Injury is the leading killer of our children. Injuries kill more children each year than diseases, kidnapping, and drugs combined.

Please join us.
The success of our chapter will depend on the support of volunteers who are committed.

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Child safety seats and safety belts, when installed and used properly, can prevent injuries and save lives. Each year, an estimated 975 child occupants under 14 years of age die as a result of a motor vehicle incident.

Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.

Child safety seats reduce fatal injury in passenger cars by 71 percent for infants less than 1 year old and by 54 percent for toddlers 1 to 4 years of age. For children 4 to 7 years of age, booster seats have shown to reduce injury risk by 59 percent compared to safety belts alone.

Safe Kids USA's policy is that all passengers - but especially children under age 13 - should ride in a back seat with properly fitted restraints appropriate for their weight and height.

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Car Seat Recommendations for Children

Birth - 12 Months

Children under the age of 1 should always ride on a REAR-FACING car seat.

There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in 1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.

1 - 3 years

Keep your 1 to 3 year old children in a REAR-FACING car seat for as long as possible. It's the best way to keep them safe. They should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer.

Once outgrown the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a FORWARD-FACING car seat with a harness.

4 - 7 years

Keep your 4 to 7 year old children in their FORWARD-FACING car seat with a harness until they the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer.

Once they outgrow their forward-facing car seat with a harness, it's time to travel on a BOOSTER SEAT ... but still in the rear seat.

8 - 12 years

Keep your 8 to 12 year old children on their BOOSTER SEAT until they are big enough to fit in a seat belt properly.

For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face.

Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because they are safer there.

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Additional Resources

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To have your child safety seat inspected please call 402-727-5396.

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