Using a car seat is the most important step in helping to secure the security of your kids in the car. But just owning a car seat is not enough in itself: the car seat needs to be used, and it has to be used properly. Here are helpful steps to follow to help assure that your kids will be as secure as possible in their car seats.
- Always be sure to read and understand the manufacturer’s recommendations on how to use the car seat properly. Improper car seat usage is the main cause of car seat failure. Also completely read the owner’s manual for your car as it relates to the usage of car seats. Most car owner’s manuals have specific instructions for car seat installation and these instructions must always be adhered to.
- To increase the security of your children, only put the car seat in the rear set of your vehicle, not in the front seat. Ideally, you should put the car set in the middle of the rear seat to increase protection against intrusion during side-impact collisions.
- If your car seat can only be used in the front seat (if there is no back seat), only install it there if there is no front seat airbag or if the airbag can be disabled. And then make sure that the airbag is indeed off. Never use a car seat in the front seat of a vehicle if the passenger-side airbag is enabled. continue reading…