New Child Safety Seat Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and NHTSA

Kevin Jones

Technical Analyst

Messerschmidt Safety Consultants

Ready to get your toddler out of that rearward facing child seat and into a forward facing seat? Not so fast. With crashes being the leading cause of death for children ages 3-14 years, "early graduation" from infant, rearward facing, forward facing, and booster seats continues to be an issue for child safety advocates and organizations.

Previous recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) were that children should remain in a rearward facing car seat until they are at least one year and weigh at least 20 lbs. However, in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics, the AAP recommends that children remain in rearward facing car seats until age two--or until the child exceeds the height and weight limits of the child seat. Read the AAP's press release (03/21/11).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has also made revisions to its recommendations based on the latest statistics on child injury in crashes. NHTSA is advising that children stay in rearward facing seats and booster seats as long as possible. NHTSA also recommends that the height and weight limits of the child seat be used as a guideline for transitioning to the next stage child seat. Learn more at NHTSA's website.

The instruction manuals that accompany newly-purchased child safety seats provide specifications on height and weight limits. These instruction manuals also provide instructions on how to properly install the child restraints. If you need additional assistance with child safety seat installation, locate a child safety seat inspection station near you.

Kevin Jones Attends the CDR Data Analyst Certification Course

Kevin Jones of MSC is taking the Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Data Analyst Certification course in Las Vegas, Nevada, during February 14-18, 2011. His training this week adds to the extensive training and experience he has in using and applying CDR data, which he gained during his work as a Crash Investigator for a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contractor. Contact Kevin Jones to learn more about his experience and skills.

The main focus of the 2011 CDR Data Analyst Certification course is reading and understanding a Bosch CDR System report and then applying it to a situationally complete accident reconstruction. The course is extensive, and it even includes participants being exposed to data that are not currently available using the Bosch CDR System. For more information on CDR courses, as well as other courses the Collision Safety Institute offers, such as CRUSH, view CSI's course listings online.

The 2010 IIHS Booster Evaluation: Check the Fit of Your Child's Booster Seat

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a good booster routes the lap belt across the child’s upper thighs and positions the shoulder belt at mid-shoulder. Proper safety belt positioning is shown in the IIHS photo above, in which the crash test dummy represents a six-year-old of average size.

Of 72 boosters recently evaluated by IIHS researchers, 21 of them (29%) earned the “BEST BET” rating (as opposed to only 15% earning the same rating last year). Seven boosters earned a “GOOD BET” rating, and eight boosters did a poor job of fitting belts and were not recommended by the Institute at all.

The remaining 36 boosters that were evaluated fell into the “in-between” group, based on their inconsistently fitting belts well on most children in most cars, minivans, and SUVs.

In a Sept. 8 IIHS press release, Institute senior vice president for research Anne McCartt said, "Unlike the top performers, consumers can't assume boosters in the in-between group will work in every family vehicle. Some may be fine, but parents still need to try them out to see if the lap and shoulder belts fit their kids correctly." The lap belt should not ride up on the child’s tummy, and the shoulder belt should not fall off the shoulder or rub against the child’s neck. Scroll down to the end of the press release to view the 2010 IIHS Booster Evaluation Results.

Do you have concerns about your child’s booster seat? September 25, 2010 is NHTSA’s National Seat Check Saturday, and certified child passenger safety technicians will be providing advice and offering hands-on seat inspections of child seats nationwide, free of charge. Find a Child Safety Seat Inspection location in your area.

NHTSA Child Passenger Safety Week: Sept. 19-25, 2010

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 8,959 lives have been saved by the use of child restraints during the last 30 years. Even so, crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3-14. Furthermore, NHTSA estimates that nearly 3 out of 4 parents use child restraints improperly.

Next week, September 19-25, 2010, is Child Passenger Safety Week. The week culminates with National Seat Check Saturday, which takes place on September 25 in numerous locations around the US.

On National Seat Check Saturday, certified child passenger safety technicians will provide advice and offer hands-on seat inspections nationwide, free of charge. Find a Child Safety Seat Inspection location in your area.

Learn more about child passenger safety.

Visit NHTSA's website to learn more about driving safety, vehicle safety, research, data, laws and regulations, and other important transportation-related topics.