Summer is the season to hit the road, and making sure we are all practicing the best safety procedures will keep your travels stress-free and everyone along for the ride safer. Driving the speed limit, slowing down in work zones, servicing your vehicle, and practicing defensive driving are all important things to be doing. But when it comes to your passenger’s safety, many of us tend to fall short when it comes to the car seat. Everyone knows how important it is to ensure that your child’s car seat is properly installed, but the fact is many of us don’t even know if we are improperly installing the car seat. So in order to help give you the peace of mind that your car seat is installed correctly, or show you what you need to adjust, this week we have the most common car seat mistakes and why it must be corrected. We suggest you grab your car seat’s owners manual because every seat is different. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call and we will do our best to help you get your seat safe!
The child is turned face-forward too early
Babies must ride facing the rear until they are at least 1 year old and weighs 20 pounds – Experts recommend waiting even longer but it is up to the parent
Some parents don’t like facing the baby to the rear because they have trouble seeing the baby’s face, but it is important that the child doesn’t face forward in case of a crash. A solution is to get a childproof mirror to hang on the backseat headrest to see the baby.
The seat isn’t installed tightly enough
Most people don’t know how tight they should be pulling the safety belt, the answer is as tight as possible. When you jiggle the area where the safety belt is pulled through, the chair should not move more than 1 inch in any direction!
Harness straps are too loose
A big mistake is not tightening the harness straps enough, this because they don’t want to make it too tight or uncomfortable for the child. The correct way is the straps should be tightened so that the slack can’t be pinched between an adult’s thumb and forefinger. This ensures that the child won’t slip too far down in the seat and that the child won’t fall out.
Infant seat angled incorrectly
The seat must be reclined no more than 45-degree angle, just enough so the child doesn’t flop forward but if he/ she is positioned anymore than that they could be thrown out between the straps headfirst.
Harness straps are in wrong slots
When the child is facing the rear position, the straps should be in slots at or just below the shoulder. If the child is old enough to be facing forward, the straps should come through the uppermost slots.
Harness retainer clip is out of place
The clip should always be at the child’s armpit level.
The locking clip is out of place
If needed, it should be positioned no more than an inch from the safety-belt latch.
The safety belt isn’t in locked mode.
This information will be provided to you in the owner’s manual of your car, determine what type of belts you have and follow the directions regarding how they must be used with a child-safety restraint.
![[Facebook]](https://www.destinationnissan.com/blogs/1121/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[LinkedIn]](https://www.destinationnissan.com/blogs/1121/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[Twitter]](https://www.destinationnissan.com/blogs/1121/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](https://www.destinationnissan.com/blogs/1121/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](https://www.destinationnissan.com/blogs/1121/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Connect with us
Recent Blog Entries
- Leave Winter Chills AND Miles Behind With These Service Specials! | Albany, NY
- Claim Blooming April Specials To Help You Save On Your New Nissan! | Albany, NY
- Tips For Travel During The Solar Eclipse! | Albany, NY
- Claim Magnificent March Specials Here At Destination Nissan! | Albany, NY
- March On Into Destination Nissan And Claim Your Monthly Service Specials! | Albany, NY
