Auto Collision Specialists And Car Safety

We see a lot of damage from car accidents at Auto Collision Specialists.  Each time a vehicle arrives at our shop with a mangled bumper or a dented door we know that there’s a human story behind the damage.  And it’s often a scary story, because car accidents are awful, terrifying experiences.  If you’ve ever been in a serious car accident you know that car safety isn’t something to be taken lightly.

 

Over the years we’ve grown to feel very strongly about car safety education and especially child car safety.  In the business of auto collision repair you see a lot of accidents up close, hear the stories and get drawn in...you can’t help but be ‘involved’!  

 

Child Car Safety—How To Protect Your Most Valued Cargo

We’re passionate about car safety and especially the safety of child passengers. 

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you can significantly reduce the risk of death and injury in car accidents by properly securing children. Car seats for children reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers aged one to four.  Those are significant numbers and seeing them makes us realize how important car seat safety education really is!

 

Five Things To Remember About Child Car Safety

• No matter what you learn about how to restrain your child, the best way to prevent injury in a vehicle is to drive carefully and with your full concentration on the road. No texting and driving!

• Children twelve and younger shouldn't ride in the front seat. The best way to protect your child is to secure him or her in the back seat. Studies show it reduces their risk of death by 36%.

• Keep your child in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. Rear-facing car seats, when properly used, are the safest thing for your child.

• Never use a rear-facing car seat in the front seat of the car or anywhere with front-release airbags.

• A child should be in a car seat or booster seat until they reach age 8 or grow to about 4’9”, at which time they can be properly secured by a seat belt.

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Resources And Car Seat Guidelines

Follow these links to find out more about child car seat safety. You’ll also find detailed car seat guidelines for proper use.

 

Healthychildren.com

Car Seat Site 

Safekids.org 

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Child Car Safety

Are some car seats safer than others? Which are the safest car seats?

All car seats being produced today are approved by the federal guidelines in the places they are sold. There are no ‘safest’ car seats, but there are car seats that work better for your child and also that are more convenient for you. It’s important to find a car seat that you can use for every trip—this is the safest car seat for your child. Used car seats should be avoided, as should car seats that are cracked or have any kind of damage. Don’t purchase or use car seats that are over six years old.

 

When can a child stop using a car seat?

Once your child reaches 40 pounds, it is time to begin using a booster seat instead of a car seat. Booster seats should be used with the seat belt across the chest AND the lap. The child should keep using the booster seat until he or she can fit properly into the seat belt without it.

 

Where can I get my car seat checked?

It is important to have your car seat checked regularly to make sure that it’s still safe, especially if you want to use it for one child, then another. Debbie Morris, the co-owner of Auto Collision Specialists is a certified Child Car Seat Safety Technician, so she can check the fit and fitness of your child’s car seat right here.  

 

How do you install and properly use a car seat?

For this, we recommend checking out other resources with in-depth descriptions and diagrams for car seat use.  Here are a couple of links to follow. Remember that you should also read the user’s manual for your car seat carefully to get any specific details for that model.

 

Healthychildren.com

Car Seat Site 

Safekids.org