Genesee County Health Department
Better Life Through Better Health
CAR SEAT SAFETY
Each year children are injured due to improper use of
car safety seats. A sticker on the car seat has instructions for proper
use, weight limit, model number, and the date of manufacture. Check new
and used seats for maker recall. For the latest news on safety seat
recalls, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission Auto
Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9393 or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission Hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Always use the car’s safety belt to secure the seat
and never place a child in front of an airbag. Replace and destroy car
seats that have been in a crash. Infants 20 pounds or less should sit in
an approved rear-facing infant seat. Center the seat in the back seat of
the car. Babies over 20 pounds can use a convertible seat. The seat can
face forward once the child is 12 months old. Children under 12 years of
age should be in the back seat.
Pull the car seat straps snug around the child’s
shoulders, allowing one or two fingers to fit beneath. The plastic clip
holding the harness straps should be at the child’s armpit or
mid-chest level. Be sure the seat sits level on the back seat.
A child may be too large for a car seat, but too
small for seat belts alone. Children over 40 pounds can use a booster
seat. A booster seat sits the child higher so the car seat belt fits
properly. Booster seats have straps that secure the shoulders and fit
over the pelvic area (not the stomach).
To learn more, call the Genesee
County Health Department at 785-4811.
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