HOUSTON – We are halfway through National Child Passenger Safety Week. It's a good time for parents and caregivers to brush up on laws and recommendations from safety advocates about keeping your kids safe on the road. There are five mistakes most parents make with car seats.
According to Safe Kids of Greater Houston, three out of every four car seats are installed incorrectly. You should always start by stopping by a car seat inspection station. Safe Kids has 19 locations in our area. You do need to call ahead to make an appointment. Plan on your visit taking about half an hour. Safety inspectors will show you how to install your car seat; and how to properly buckle your child in, so, bring your child with you.
They say there are all sorts of ways parents are buckling their kids in wrong.
"People are using latches with seat belts; the harness straps are not tight enough," said one inspector with Texas Children's Hospital. "The chest clips are not running high across the chest at the armpits."
The shoulder straps on your child's seat are not tight enough if you can pinch a wrinkle in them.
Parents who buy second-hand car seats may be unknowingly buying a seat under recall with safety defects. You can check out any seat before you buy it to see if there are any open recalls here.
Car seats also have expiration dates. Look for the date you should stop using the seat on the seat itself. The general rule is that seats are good between 5 and 7 years from the manufacture date. After that, the plastic wears down and the seat may not be safe. And lastly, experts say parents are letting their kids move to the front seat too soon. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends kids should stay in the back until they are 13 years old.
Texas law requires all children younger than 8 years old, unless taller than 4'9", to be in the appropriate child safety system, either a booster or a car seat.. Once the child is 8 years old, they are not legally required to be in a child safety seat system - but - if the child is not yet 4'9" tall they would be better protected if they continued to use the appropriate child safety seat system until they can properly fit the adult safety belt.