by Virginia L. Allen

Created on: June 06, 2009

Car crashes are the leading cause of death among children between the ages 5 and 14 years of age, according to U.S. National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). More often than not, these tragic deaths are caused because children are either unrestrained(by car safety devices), or improperly restrained.

Although child restraint laws vary from country to country and state to state, certain guidelines can be applied to everyone. These simple guidelines - offered by the NHTSA - include:

1.) Place all children in the backseat of the automobile (children should never sit in the front-passenger seat of the automobile, until they turn 13 years of age). Front-passenger airbags; when deployed; can cause serious injury, even death, to younger children and babies.

2.) When installing and using car-seats, follow all instructions carefully (many local fire-stations not only install car-seats, they also offer car-seat instruction classes).

3.) A shoulder belt alone will not provide protection for a small child. In the event of a car crash, the seat-belt could cut across the neck of the child, causing serous injury and even death.

4.) When using a booster seat devoid a shield, a lap belt will not provide sufficient protection.

5.) Always place infants in a rear-facing child safety seat in the rear of the automobile.

6.) Only a child of at least a year old and weighing at least 20 pounds [9kg], may be safely placed in a forward-facing seat (only in the back seat of the automobile).

7.) Only when a child reaches 40 pounds [18kg], should they be placed in a booster seat which is secured by both a lap and shoulder belt.

8.) Only when a child is approximately 80 pounds [36kg] and about four feet nine inches [140 cm], may the child begin to use an adult safety strap.

Child safety restraint is not the only way to keep your precious cargo safe. Safety practices such as these listed below, are other ways to incorporate child safety in the car...

1.) Set noise level guidelines while driving (keep the level of noise making down to a minimum, to prevent unnecessary and potentially dangerous distractions).

2.) Set guidelines regarding horse play while operating the automobile(absolutely no throwing of toys or other objects in the car, no extreme horseplay).

3.) To prevent choking, ensure another adult is able to monitor any eating and drinking done by the child while your driving. In the event this is not possible; pull over to a safe place; allow your child to eat and drink to their fill; then continue on your journey.

Using these guidelines and a little common sense, you can keep your precious cargo safe in the car.

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