A right of passage for many children is finally being “big enough to ride in the front.” At the same time, airbags can seriously injure or kill young children riding in the front seat. Keep children in approved car seats as long as they are under the recommended age and sizes. Summer driving and car seat safety go hand-in-hand.
Keep Small Children Out Of Front Seats
Avoid encouraging the front seat as a right of passage. Until the child is of sufficient size and weight, the safest place for your child is the center back seat, using an appropriate car seat or booster that actually fits your child. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among children. Further, CDC studies show that car seat use reduces the risk of injury in a crash by up to 82 percent for children when compared with seat belt use alone.
Alaskan Law Regulates Car Seat Safety
AS 28.05.095 Use of Seat Belts and Child Safety Devices Required outlines the requirements for seat belt and car seat use in Alaska regardless of the vehicle occupant’s age.
Senate Bill No. 218 An Act Relating to Use of Child Safety Seats and Seat Belts defines changes to AS 28.05.095 to more clearly outline car seat requirements which keep our children safer.
Summer Driving and Car Seat Safety
Read the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them completely, every time you put your child in a car seat. Before securing your child in a car seat, install it correctly.
Rear-facing car seats should be used for infants and children weighing 20 pounds or less. The chest straps should not have slack and the chest clip should be at the child’s chest, not their stomach. Remove blankets and jackets before clipping a child into a car seat to prevent space between the straps and child.
Children over 20 pounds and a year or more in age should use a five point harness. Keeping a child rear-facing is safer for their head, neck, and spine. However, once a child exceeds the maximum weight for a baby seat, the seat doesn’t protect the child against an impact to the same degree.
A child who is over four years old and is less than 57 inches (4’9″) tall and under 65 pounds should be properly secured in a booster seat. Ensure the seatbelt crosses the child’s lap and rests along their shoulder, not their neck, chest, or stomach. A child may use a seat belt once over four years of age and exceeding the requirements of booster seats.
Summer driving and car seat safety go hand-in-hand. Keep your children as safe as possible each time you drive with them in your vehicle.
The Merdes Law Firm has been helping injured Alaskans for more than 30 years. It’s who we are. And while we hope you never need us … We’re here if you do. ~ Ward Merdes
Sources: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Alaska Legislature; Ward Merdes
Image Source: Adobe Stock
