Ford Offers Child Passenger Safety Tips for Your Summer Road Trip

Now that we’ve finally passed by Memorial Day – the unofficial start of the summer vacation season – it’s time to start planning your next summer road trip. But before you pack the car with your beach chairs, camping gear or whatever items you need for your summer getaway, it’s important to be reminded about vehicle safety. Especially when the most precious cargo – our children – are often along for the ride.

Ford Motor Company wants to make sure all drivers, regardless of the brand they’re driving, are transporting their kids in the safest ways possible. On Saturday, May 18, 2019, Jim Tidwell Ford in Kennesaw hosted a Safe Kids Cobb County Car Seat Checkup Event for the community. Nearly 25 attendees received a free car seat inspection, learned about how to properly install a car seat and discovered when to replace a car seat.

Important tips for parents to know about car seat safety, in general, include:

• Read the instructions before you install the car seat, as well as your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

• Use a car seat that fits your child and follow directions for its proper use.

• Make sure your child is secured correctly in the seat.

• Check the height and weight limits for the seat (they are noted in the instructions and on the seat’s labels).

• Secure the car seat tightly in your vehicle, using either the seat belt or the LATCH system for installation.

• For forward-facing car seats, connect the tether.

• Register your car seat. If the car seat is found to have a possible safety problem or there is a recall, the maker of the seat will provide instructions.

In addition, the following child passenger safety tips are provided by Ford experts, who work hand-in-hand with the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop comprehensive safety tips for driving children of all ages:

Children Younger Than 1

The safest place for your baby is in the back seat, riding in a rear-facing car seat. Rear-facing car seats give your child’s head, neck and spine the extra protection he or she needs.

Children 1-3 Years Old

Children between 1 and 3 years old should remain in rear-facing car seats until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.

Always:

• Properly position the harness on your child.

• For rear-facing car seats, harness straps should lie flat and be placed through the slots located at or below your child’s shoulders.

• For forward-facing car seats, harness straps should lie flat and be placed through the slots located at or above your child’s shoulders.

• Buckle the harness, and the chest clip, and tighten. The harness is snug enough when you cannot pinch any extra material at the shoulder.

• Place the chest clip at armpit level.

Children 4-7 Years Old

Children between 4 and 7 years old should ride in a forward-facing car seat with a harness. Once he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer, your child can use a booster seat.

Always:

• Buckle the harness, and the chest clip, and tighten. The harness is snug enough when you cannot pinch any extra material at the shoulder.

• Place the chest clip at armpit level.

Children 8-12 Years Old (Tweens)

Children between 8 and 12 years old should ride in booster seats until they are big enough to fit in seat belts properly. Children should still ride in the back seat where it is safest.

Always:

• Place the booster seat flat on the vehicle seat, in the back seat.

• Have your child sit on the booster seat and buckle the seat belt.

• Make sure the seat belt fits your child properly.

• Adjust the lap belt so it lies snugly across the child’s upper thighs, not across the stomach. Adjust the shoulder belt so it rests across the chest.

For further guidance on buying, installing and finding the right car seat — and when to change it —read more on the Safe Kids website here, or visit a local car seat installation checkup event in your area.