Child Passenger Safety Week and Car Seat Recalls

This week, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and child safety groups including Safe Kids are promoting Child PassengerSafety Week, and initiative to encourage safe car seat and seat belt use for children.

According to several reports, 9 out of 10 car seats are installed incorrectly. Additionally, many parents rely on outdated measurements and recommendationsfor when a child should graduate from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat to a booster and, finally, to a seat belt.

A 2012 NHTSA press releaselisted the 5 most common mistakes in installing a car seats and booster seats:

• Wrong harness slot used - The harness straps used to hold the child in the car seat were positioned either too low or too high;
• Harness chest clip positioned over the abdomen rather than the chest or not used at all;
• Loose car seat installation - The restraint system moved more than two inches side-to-side or front to back; anything more than one inch is too much.
• Loose harness - More than two inches of total slack between the child and the harness strap; there should be no slack.
• Seat belt placement was wrong � Lap belt resting over the stomach and/or shoulder belt on the child�s neck or face.

During Child Passenger Safety Week, many agencies across the nation are conducting free car seat safety checks to help parents properly install car seatsand to make sure children are riding in the appropriate seat for their age, height, and weight.

Find upcoming car seat check ups sponsored by Safe Kids Oklahoma here.If a car seat check up event is not scheduled near you, you can make an appointment at the Oklahoma City inspection station located at 3401 W. RenoAvenue in Oklahoma City by calling 405-945-6709.

You can click here to view the Oklahoma Highway SafetyOffice's statewide list of car seat inspection stations to find a location near you.

Until recently, Oklahoma had some of the worst child passenger safety laws in the nation, falling far short of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)recommendations. Effective November 1, however, new car seat laws will take effect that will more closely match AAP guidelines:

• Infants and children must remain in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years old.
• Children aged 2 and 3 must remain in a car seat, either rear-facing or forward facing.
• Children aged 4 and older must ride in either a car seat or a booster seat until they reach the age of 8 or until they are at least 4'9, whichevercomes first.

Read more about the new Oklahoma car seat law here.

Ironically, a major car seat manufacturer has issued a car seat recall this week, just in time for Child Passenger Safety Week. Recaro Child Safety isrecalling more than 173,000 ProRide and Performance Ride car seats amidst reports that the top tether can become detached in an accident and that theseat shells can crack or come loose from the main shell during a crash. Learn more about the Recaro car seat recall.

Find a list of all car seat recalls here.