|
technician contact locator
      
When choosing a safety seat for your child, keep in mind the following important
points:
1.
The seat must meet federal standards.
2.
Use the car seat for every trip. Most crashes happen close to
home.
3.
Select a seat that is easy for you to use every time.
4.
The seat must fit properly in your car. Read your vehicle owner's
manual for information about using a child restraint in your vehicle.
5.
The seat must be appropriate for the child's weight and height.
To determine whether it is, read the safety-seat manufacturer's
instructions. Place the safety belt exactly where the instructions
recommend it be placed.
6.
You can't be sure about the history of a used seat. Best
practice is to purchase a new seat.
7.
Never use a car seat that has been in a crash. Check for
expiration dates and recalls.
(Five to 20/22 pounds)
Use safety seats designed for children under 20/22 pounds.
-
Infants should ride rear-facing to at least 20 pounds and at least one
year of age
-
Infants should ride reclined, up to a 45-degree angle
-
Thread the harness straps through the lowest pair of slots in the back of the seat. This
will help keep the baby restrained in the seat, providing additional protection in a
crash.
-
Buckle the harness system between the infant's legs.
-
Tighten the harness so that the child is snugly secured in the seat.
-
Secure the safety belt to the safety seat. The safety seat should not move more than 1
inch toward the front of the vehicle or side-to-side.
Air bag warning:
Go to top
TODDLERS
(20/22 to 40 pounds )
seats
for kids over 4
Children weighing between 20
and 40 pounds and over one year of age may ride forward-facing
in a convertible safety seat or harness system. If a child does not meet
both the minimum weight and age, then he/she should continue to ride
rear-facing in an appropriate safety seat.
·
Thread the harness straps
through the top pair of slots in the back of the safety seat.
·
Buckle the harness system
between the child's legs.
·
Tighten the harness so that the
child is snugly secured in the seat.
·
Secure the safety belt to the
safety seat. The safety seat should not move more than 1 inch toward the
front of the vehicle or side-to-side.
Safety advocates recommend using a safety seat
equipped with a five-point harness system.
Air bag warning:
·
Never
place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
·
All children ages 12 and under
are safest riding secured in the back seat.
Go to top
(40 to 80 pounds)
/
Children weighing between 40 and up to 80 pounds
should be restrained by a belt-positioning booster seat.
Belt-positioning
booster seats, which are used in conjunction with the vehicle's
lap-and-shoulder safety-belt system, provide good upper-body protection for
children weighing more than 40 pounds.
Booster seats must
be used with a lap-shoulder belt.
A booster seat
keeps the vehicle safety belt positioned correctly over the strongest bones
-- the shoulders and hips. Without a booster seat, the vehicle safety belt
system will likely not adequately fit a child within this weight range.
Air bag
warning:
·
Never
place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
·
All children ages 12 and under are
safest riding secured in the back seat.
Go to top
(Over 80 pounds)
When children have outgrown safety seats (around
80 pounds and about 4'9" tall), they graduate to safety belts.
·
Lap belt should fit low across hips,
NEVER across the face, neck or stomach.
·
Shoulder belt should fit snug across
shoulder, not neck.
·
Generally, seat belts do not fit a
child correctly until at least 60 pounds.
·
Children should ride in a car seat
or booster seat until a seat belt fits the child correctly.
Air bag warning:
·
Never place a child in a rear-facing
safety seat in front of an air bag.
·
All children ages 12 and under are
safest riding secured in the back seat.
Go to top
TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
·
Never misuse safety seats. Follow
the safety-seat manufacturer's directions and the vehicle instructions for
buckling the seat into your car or truck.
·
The back seat is much safer than the
front.
·
Begin using a safety seat
immediately. Protect your newborn in a safety seat on the way home from the
hospital and on every ride.
·
Small children (not infants) can be
included in the process of selecting a safety seat. Children are happier and
more inclined to use a safety seat if they feel comfortable in the seat.
·
Remind the child that the vehicle
will not move until everyone is buckled up.
·
Children are imitators. Set a
positive example for your child by buckling up yourself on every trip.
·
Don't keep books, bottles or other
sharp, hard objects in your car or truck. In a collision such objects can
become airborne, possibly striking and injuring you or your child. Provide a
special soft toy for children to play with when riding in a motor vehicle.
·
Don't let children eat while riding
in a car or truck. A sudden stop could cause a child to choke.
·
Lock your doors. Teach children not
to play with door handles or locks.
Air bag warning:
·
Never
place a child in a rear-facing safety seat in front of an air bag.
·
All children ages 12 and under are
safest riding secured in the back seat.
Please read your vehicle instructions to make sure
that your safety belt will work with your safety seat.
In order for a safety belt to work it must remain
tight when securing a safety seat.
Safety Recall
:
Go to top
|
