Since Sept. 1, 1999, Texas law has required that children between the ages of 4 and 15 be properly restrained while riding in the back seat, in addition to the requirement for younger children and infants to be restrained. The state law previously had required only children under the age of 4 to be buckled up while riding in the back seat. “This is a big step toward protecting families as they travel,” says Patti Rhynders, who manages Children’s Medical Center of Dallas’ injury prevention and education outreach programs.

otor vehicle injuries continue to be the greatest risk to a child’s health. In 1997, 19 Dallas County children died in motor vehicle collisions. Of those for whom restraint usage is known, 90 percent were unrestrained.

Safety seats help protect children from death or serious injury in auto crashes. Yet many parents allow their children to ride unrestrained or to ride in carseats that have been improperly installed.

“To truly protect your entire family, every person should be properly restrained every time they ride in a vehicle — no excuses,” says Patti Rhynders, who manages Children’s Medical Center of Dallas’ injury prevention education and outreach programs. “Most people don’t realize how difficult it is to correctly install a child safety seat, so they don’t realize that they have made mistakes.”

Carseat selection and installation:

• Infant carseats are for children under 20–30 pounds (read the carseat’s instruction manual for specific weight requirements) and should always be placed in a rear-facing, reclining position in the back seat of a vehicle. A carseat with a five-point harness provides the best protection.
• If a child is 1 year of age and weighs 20 pounds, he can be safely moved to a front-facing carseat. The safety seat should be placed in the back seat of a vehicle, preferably in the middle seating position, depending upon the design of the seat and the seat belt. “Convertible carseats” can be used in the rear-facing position for infants and in the front-facing position for toddlers (read the carseat and vehicle instruction manuals for proper usage and installation).
• Children are ready for a high-back booster seat when they weigh 40 pounds, and should remain in the seat until they are about 8 years of age, or until an adult seat belt fits the child properly. The booster seat should have a five-point harness, and be placed forward-facing in the back seat of a vehicle. Belt-positioning boosters raise the child up to a position at which the seat belt fits properly. Proper fit means the shoulder belt fits snug across the shoulder and chest (not across the neck or face) and low and snug across the hips (not across the abdomen).
• Never place a child in front of an airbag.