Safe Traveling: Kids and Car Seats (Sponsored Post)

As a parent, when was the last time you checked your kids’ car seats? It’s an important question, given that thousands of children are killed or injured each year in automobile crashes. 

Making sure children are properly and safely restrained while riding in any vehicle is not only good practice—it’s the law.

car seat safety

Iowa Law

Iowa law states:

  • Children ages 1 to 6 must be secured in a child restraint system such as a safety seat or booster seat—NOT a seat belt.
  • Children ages 6 to 11 must be secured in a child restraint system or a safety belt.
  • Back-seat riders up to age 18 must be secured by a safety belt.

“Some parents may not be aware that in Iowa, all children younger than age 18 must be safely secured while riding in a vehicle,” says Pam Hoogerwerf, director of community outreach and injury prevention at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

“It may come as a surprise to some families that a 17-year-old, for example, must wear a safety belt while traveling in a car, even in the back seat,” Hoogerwerf says. “But the purpose of the law is to ensure that every child, no matter the age, is as safe as possible every time they ride in a vehicle.” 

“It’s an added measure of safety that makes sense for these young children,” she says.

Rear-Facing Vs. Forward-Facing

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation is to keep children in a rear-facing car seat until they are two years old, or until the child reaches the maximum weight limit on the rear-facing car seat. Rear-facing car seats do a better job of supporting the head, neck, and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention found that children under age two were five times safer riding in a rear-facing car seat during a side crash than in a front-facing car seat.

When children transition to forward-facing car seats, an additional safety measure is to use a tether. This strap connects the top of the car seat to the vehicle to help prevent serious head and neck injuries in vehicle collisions.

Also, keep in mind that most car seats expire after six years from the date it was manufactured. You can find those dates on the seat itself or base of the seat. If the date isn’t visible, check the owner’s manual or call the manufacturer.

Back Seat Vs. Front Seat

All children younger than age 13 should ride in the back seat of a vehicle. An air bag deploys at over 200 mph. Riding in the back seat keeps kids away from the air bag in case of deployment, which can cause neck injuries. If it’s absolutely necessary to put a child in the front passenger seat and the air bag cannot be deactivated, make sure the passenger seat is pushed back as far as possible.

When to Transition to a Seat Belt

As kids grow, one of the biggest challenges for parents is knowing when to transition from a booster seat to the vehicle’s seat belt. For these children, size matters more than age, so here’s a good guideline to follow:

  • Position the child in the vehicle so they are sitting straight—with their rear ends and backs securely against the back of the seat.
  • If the child’s legs bend at a 90-degree angle, and the seat belt rests on the strongest part of their shoulder (not the child’s neck), the child is big enough to travel wearing the seat belt.
  • For a seat belt to fit properly, the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs—not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face.

Local Resources and Opportunities 

To assist parents and families, the Safety Store at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital offers low-cost car safety seats as well as car safety seat installation by appointment. Safety Store specialists can help answer questions as to which child restraint system is best for your young riders and when the time is right to make the transition to another type of car seat or to seat belts.

The Safety Store will offer a 10 percent discount storewide on all car seats purchased THIS WEEK from September 18-23. Each car seat purchase this week will also include an opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate to be used on a future store purchase. Contact the store at 319-356-3543 or [email protected] for more information.


This is a sponsored post. ICMB was compensated for sharing this piece.  However, we love connecting our readers with people and organizations that are doing good in our community, and we think you will find this information helpful and informative!


 

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