Keeping your kids safe in the car

Thanks to car seats and booster seats, young kids and even infants can travel safely by car. However, to ensure their well-being, there are certain precautions you need to take concerning their seat as well as the vehicle itself.

Car seat safety
Infants and toddlers should be in rear-facing car seats until they’re at least two years old and weigh 22 pounds. Keep your child in their rear-facing seat for as long as possible—until they’ve exceeded the seat’s weight and height limits.

When between 22 and 40 pounds, toddlers and young children can sit in forward-facing car seats. It’s best to secure children in their forward-facing car seat until they’ve reached the maximum weight and height limit for the particular seat.

Kids who are at least four and weigh above 40 pounds can move on to a booster seat.

Choose the seat that you’re able to correctly install every time and that is the best fit for both your child and your vehicle. The best place for a car seat is in the middle of the backseat.

Vehicle safety
If you’re purchasing a new vehicle, your primary concern as a parent is how safe it is for your children. Look for a car with high safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). These can be found on their website at iihs.org. Also, check the IIHS LATCH rating (also provided on the IIHS website), which evaluates the safety of a vehicle’s child seat attachment hardware.

Moreover, look at vehicles’ individual safety features (for instance, back-up cameras, blind spot monitoring, collision avoidance systems and traction control).

Whether you’re getting a new vehicle or sticking with your current one, make sure it receives regular maintenance. A well-maintained vehicle is less likely to be involved in accidents.