Do you realize that a seat belt alone won’t protect your child in a car accident?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, correctly using a child safety seat will reduce your child’s risk of being killed in a vehicle accident by 54% for a toddler, and 71% for an infant. For this reason, all 50 states require child safety restraints by law.

But when purchasing a child safety seat, many parents become confused by all of the choices on the market. The NHSTA recently did a study revealing that 72% of parents don’t know how to properly use child safety seats. Which is why the NHSTA developed guidelines called the “4 Steps for Kids” to help parents. They are as follows:

1. Make sure infants stay in the back seat facing back until they reach the height and weight requirements for the seat they are using.
2. Children should ride in forward-facing seats in the back seat until they reach the upper height and weight requirements of the seat (around 4 yrs old and 40 pounds).
3. Children should be in booster seats in the back seat after outgrowing their forward-facing seats. This should continue until car seat belts fit the children properly (around 8 yrs old or 4’9” tall).
4. Children can use regular seats belts in the back seat when they fit properly.

Parents are more concerned than ever about their children’s safety and are taking extra precautions, such as following strict car seat guidelines and signing up for a roadside assistance program in case of an emergency situation. You can never be too careful when children are involved.