Start 2009 Safely: 4 Tips to Make Child Safety Seats Work Right

If you think buying and installing a child safety seat is all you need to keep kids safe, think again

The National Highway Safety Administration estimates 8 of 10 child safety seats are not used correctly. That, obviously, puts kids at risk for injury or even death.

The great news is that you can easily enlist help on how to install it. Go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov for information about the safety seat inspections offered by the more than 33,000 certified technicians and instructors in the U.S. You can also call your local police department's non-emergency number to schedule an appointment.

Although seats and car systems vary, you don't need to invest in a brand new car to keep your child safe. True, car manufactured after 2002 employ the LATCH system, which does not require a safety belt to install. The lower tethers work in conjunction with top tethers, which have been required in new vehicles and safety seats since 1999. Still, there are plenty of ways to keep kids safe in older cars.

Consider these safety ideas from AAA and other auto experts:

• Read the safety seat instructions. Sounds like a no-brainer, but plenty of people skip this step, which outlines how to thread the seat belt through the safety seat securely.
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• Read the car's owner's manual. It will indicate if you need "extras" such as a locking clip that secure the safety seat or an accessory belt for fitting child seats in particular seating positions.
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• Use rear-facing seats for newborns up to 1 year of age and 22 pounds in weight. The rear facing position supports the child's entire head, neck and back and helps reduce stress to the neck and spinal cord in a crash.
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• Keep kids in the back seat. AAA reports that properly restrained children - especially those under age 13 - have significantly les chance of death or injury if they ride in the back.
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• Consider booster seats for kids who weigh more than 50 pounds. There are no federal standards for these booster seats, but experts at AAA believe booster seats reduce injury. When adult-size seat belts are used for these children, they risk injuries to the liver, spleen and bowel, and spine.
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• Allow kids to use adult seat belts when they can sit with their backs straight against the vehicle seat back cushion and the knees can bend over the seat edge without touching. The seat belt should fit the child low across the hips and thighs, and across the shoulder and chest. It should not cut into the child's

  For more information go to seatcheck.org or aaa.org.

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