What you need to know about child seat safety
Action News has received many questions from concerned families with young kids who ride in the car in the wake of that deadly crash in Philadelphia's East Falls section over the weekend.
The 6-year-old in this car crash wasn't in a booster. He should have been and is now dead.
A newborn baby girl also in the crash is fighting for her life. Police are not sure if her car seat was properly installed.
I posted about this on my Facebook page and on top of sharing it, some of you asked me to do another story about car seat and booster safety.
Here's what you need to know to protect your kids:
One study has shown 70% of child seats were installed with a mistake putting kids at greater risk of injury or death.
In the tristate area, New Jersey has the strictest car seat laws. I recommend we all follow them.
All kids under 2 years old must ride in a rear-facing car seat with a five-point harness.
Kids between 2 and 4 can be in either a rear-facing or front-facing seat.
But keep your children rear-facing as long as you can, again, at least until they're 2.
A mom in Washington shared photos on Facebook saying her son's rear-facing car seat saved his life in a terrible crash earlier this year.
If your child is between 4 and 8 years old, they must be in a forward-facing seat or a booster seat.
Children must ride in a booster seat until they turn 8, weigh more than 80 pounds, or are taller than 4'9.
That's right, your child should be in a booster seat until they are 57" tall.
These are not recommendations. These are the law.
"The main job of a booster is to elevate a child and help position the lap and shoulder belts so that they're providing the best protection in a crash," Anne McCartt of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said.
Studies have shown booster seats cut the risk of injury in a crash by 45%.
SaferCar.gov has great information and everything you need to know about car seat and booster seat safety.
Here are recommendations for car seats and links to help you find free car seat inspections:
http://www.safercar.gov/parents/CarSeats/Right-Car-Seat-Age-Size.htm
http://www.chop.edu/pages/car-seat-checks#.VyjjTvkrK70
http://safeseats4kids.aaa.com/
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/car-seats/buying-guide.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/car-seats.htm?loginMethod=auto
Please look, share, and save a child's life.
