DRIVING AROUND Kingston you may see a billboard that says that a child seat is not your lap. This serves as a reminder that, as we are now a much more travelling public we need to keep ourselves and especially our children safe.
There are a number of things you can do to keep your children safe while you travel. The back seat is generally the safest place in a crash. If your car carries a passenger air bag then it is essential that children under 12 ride in the back. It is important the air bags are not designed for infants and while it may save your life it may kill your infant.
Here is how you can keep them safe. Infants under a year old and weighing fewer than 20lbs should be strapped in the back seat facing the rare of the vehicle. Infants who weigh 20 lbs. before one year of age should ride in a restraint approved for higher rear facing weights that is, you would strap your child into a seat that is meant for a heavier child sitting in the same position (facing the rear of the vehicle). Always read your child restraint owner manual for instructions on properly using the restraint. Children over the age one and weighing at least 20 pounds may ride facing forward
It is also important that the child is properly buckled. Keep the straps over your child's shoulder. The harness should be adjusted so you can slip only one finger underneath the straps at your child's chest. Place the chest clip at armpit level.
Keep children in safety seats as long as possible. They are ready for seat belts when they can sit without slouching, with knees bent at the edge of the seat, with feet on the floor. The lap belt must fit low and tight across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should rest over the shoulder and across the chest. Never put the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the child's back. The adult lap and shoulder belt system alone will not fit most children until they are at least 4'9" tall and weigh about 80 pounds.
