Rear-facing is safer than forward-facing! What about the legs??? It’s both safe AND comfortable for a rear-facing child to sit frog-legged or cross-legged. Surprisingly, forward facing kids get many more leg injuries than rear-facing kids! Convertible seats now have rear-facing weight limits of 35-50 pounds and can accommodate most kids until at least 3 rear-facing.
See here for more info on tip #1.
4.5y, 22m, 16m – all rear-facing in Clek Foonfs
The tether, a strap that secures the top of the forward-facing child’s car seat to an anchor in the back of the vehicle, will decrease how far the child’s head moves forward in a crash by 6-8 inches!
Tether the seat if you use the seat belt. Tether the seat if you use the lower anchors. Tether EVERY forward-facing car seat.
See here for more info on tip #2.
See here for more info on tip #3.
When someone in back rides without a seat belt, the other people who have buckled up are up to 3 times more likely to die in that same crash because now you have human missiles flying through the car.
See here for more info on tip #4.
See here for more info on tip #5.
It’s one thing to leave your diet at home when you go on vacation… it’s another to leave your child’s car seat home. See here for some suggestions for travel-friendly seats. See here for specific suggestions on taking taxis with kids – and taxi-friendly car seats.
With a misuse rate of 90%, car seats are more challenging than most parents realize (studies show the average car seat has 3 mistakes). Go here or here to find someone trained in your area.
It’s not where your hands are, it is where your head is. Talking (hands free or hand-held) increases your risk of being in a crash by 2-4x, texting 8x! Mental distractions are a significant safety issue endangering all of us on the roads – both people in the car with the distracted driver and those sharing the road.
Here’s another distraction we suggest avoiding: mirrors that allow you to see your child in the back seat. Why avoid them? They take your mind & eyes off the road and increase everyone’s chances of being in a crash.
See here for more info on tip #9.
One large study showed the center is 43% safer than the side for children, specifically because you can’t take a direct impact. The oldest child is typically the least protected (rear-facing is 5 times safer than forward-facing), so if possible keep the oldest in the center. A study of all fatal crashes in the US between 2000 and 2003 found that the person sitting in the center of the back seat had a 13% increased chance of survival than those sitting on one of the side seats in the back.