You want your child to stay safe. That’s why you have socket covers at home, stair gates, the best car seat you can find and a comfortable stroller. This is why you read reviews on baby slings and carriers and the correct ergonomic positioning. Keeping your children safe will be your part time job forever more.
Even if you have a second child you can take a look at this article on CheekyTummy to get the right stroller for your growing family. In short; as a parent you do everything you can to keep your children safe. This is why the car seat is so important.
Car Seat Facts
A properly fitted car seat will absorb the impact of an accident instead of passing it onto your baby. This dramatically reduces the likelihood of your baby getting injured.
Consider this; motor vehicles are the biggest cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 18. A third of the children who die in car accidents do not have seatbelts on.
But children under 1 year old in a car seat were 71% less likely to be fatally injured. That’s impressive and a reason by itself to ensure your child always uses their car seat and is restrained properly. You just don’t know when an accident could happen.
Current Challenges
There are a variety of issues regarding car seat use which still need to be overcome:
Incorrect Fitting
As many as 69% of car seats are not fitted correctly into vehicles. This is despite instructions arriving with the seats and the availability of installation technicians.
The main issue is that it seems very simple to install a car seat so most people don’t bother with the professional help on offer. The problem is that the seat can seem to be fine. You’ll only discover it wasn’t fitted correctly when the accident happens.
Laziness
Have you ever popped to the shops or down your road and let your child off? Many parents don’t worry about seat belts when travelling short distances. You may even remember when you were a kid and there were no seatbelts in the back of the cars.
While this is fine and a little exciting in theory; accidents can happen anywhere. In fact they are more likely to happen near your home as your concentration will be reduced.
The Rules
Like so many things in life the rules and guidelines change regularly. It is easy not to comply with the latest regulations when you’re not aware of what they are.
However, not staying up to date with the current rules puts your child at risk. That’s not something any parent wants to do.
Early Transition
It is tempting to allow your child to face forwards earlier than the guidelines say. Equally you may allow them to ride without a car seat even though they are technically too small for the seat and seatbelt.
These things will help to keep your child happy but they will not help to keep them safe if you do have an accident.
The biggest challenge is getting parents to use child seats every time; there is never a good reason not to use them.
