The National Highway Transportation Safety Commission states that from 1975 through 2008, child restraints saved nearly 9,000 lives. Research on the effectiveness of child safety seats has shown them to reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) who are riding in passenger cars.

For the single year of  2008, the number of children under the age of 14 killed nationwide was 1,374. In the same year, 39 children died in Michigan auto accidents.

To keep your child safe while riding in a car, it is essential to use proper restraints.  There are four types of safety restraints to fit your child at different life stages.

1. Rear Facing Car Seats: These are the ultimate protection and are essential for infants, from birth to 12 months.  Rear facing seats are engineered to protect a child’s fragile neck and spinal cord during an auto accident.  It’s best to keep your child in a rear facing seat for as long as possible, because it is the safest way to travel.  Some convertible seats will fit an infant and expand to a toddler’s height and weight, allowing the child to ride in a rear facing seat for a longer period of time.
2. Front Facing Car Seats: These are used when your child outgrows a rear facing seat.  They have a tether and a harness, to limit movement and protect your child in a crash. A front facing seat is safest, when securely fastened in the back seat of the car.
3. Child Booster Seats:  Booster seats are appropriate when your child exceeds the height and weight limits of front facing car seats.  They should still be placed in the back seat. It is important to get a booster seat positioned correctly, so the seat belt fits properly over the strong parts of your child’s body.
4. Seat Belts:  It’s best to keep your children in car seats as long as possible. Move them to seat belts only after they outgrow the booster seat and can fit into the cars seat belts.  A proper fit is the lap belt laying snugly across the upper thighs, rather than the stomach, and the shoulder belt laying snug across the shoulder and chest, rather than the neck. In this way, your child will be safely restrained and protected, even in a crash. Remember, your children should still ride in the back seat because they are safest there.

Each state also has child passenger safety laws.  In Michigan, for example, children 7 years and under must use car seats, and those 4 years and under must be in the back seat of the car.  From age 8 to 15, children can use seat belts if they are 4’9” or taller, but they should still ride in the back seat.

By following these guidelines, you can help keep your children safe if they are in a Michigan auto accident.

Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website for more information.
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/CPS