Stricter Standards Coming for Car Safety Seats

A recent publication by the American Academy of Pediatrics has advised that toddlers between the ages of 12 and 23 months who ride rear facing in a car safety seat are more than FIVE TIMES SAFER than toddlers in that same age group who ride forward facing in a car seat.

It is a common myth that rear facing toddlers whose feet reach the back of the vehicle seat are more likely to suffer injuries to the lower extremities in a car accident. Rear facing seats are more likely to support the back, neck, head and pelvis because the force of the crash is distributed evenly over the entire body.

Face your child rear until 2 years of age.   

 Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for children and adolescents. Please make sure that your children are protected in a properly installed safety seat.

 The state of Illinois has tough car safety seat laws!  Some facts… 

·        A child under the age of 2 years 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. It is not illegal to face your child forward between 1 and 2 years of age, but it is 5 TIMES SAFER to face your child rear.

·        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. Take the time to ensure that the car seat is installed properly. To have your car seats inspected, installed, and to receive safety tips contact safekids.org , seatcheck.net (free) or safetysquad.com (paid service in Chicago).

    ·        Children <13 years should ride in the back seat!

·        After age 8, Illinois law requires anyone 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.

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In part due to a Chicago Tribune investigation published Sunday, 3/1/09,

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-car_seatsmar01,0,2504501.story

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently evaluating the safety standards in place for infant/children safety seats. Until a decision is made on the stricter standards for carseat compliance, the best place for your child is in the back seat in a properly installed safety seat built to withstand your child’s weight and height. Please check out the NHTSA’s statement and their ongoing efforts at their website.  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/  

Also, 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…

http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/12-a

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

http://www.buckleupillinois.org/default.asp

If you have any questions, please call Town and Country Pediatrics (312)279-8900 or visit our website at http://www.townandcountrypeds.com