It's summer and that means "road trips" in the car! Car accidents are the number one cause of death for children and adolescents.

The state of Illinois has tough car safety seat laws!

A child under the age of 1 year should be rear facing in the backseat of the car. If a child is under 20 pounds and over the age of 1 year he/she should remain rear facing until reaching a weight of 20 pounds.

The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act mandates the use of car safety seats until age 8. Children under the age of 8 years must be secured in an appropriate child safety seat. Child safety seats include infant seats, convertible seats, and booster seats for use with a lap and shoulder belt system. It is safest to keep your child in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. Some car seat manufacturers have seats for children up to age 80 pounds.

After age 8, Illinois law requires everyone under the age of 19 to be properly restrained anywhere in the car.

A car factory designed seat belt is designed to protect individuals who are 80 pounds and at least 4'9" in height....so if your child does not meet these requirements he/she should be properly restrained in a booster seat.

There are a few sites that will help you ascertain which seats to buy, how to install them, and how to restrain your child. The American Academy of Pediatrics site has important information at www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm

and the State of Illinois site also provides a wealth of education at

www.buckleupillinois.org/default.asp

If you are looking for help installing your car safety seat, you may contact a certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technician. Please call 1-866- SEATCHECK or visit their website at www.seatcheck.net