Children Should Never Ride In The Front Seat Of A Car Equipped With A Passenger-Side Air Bag!!!!

Depending on the age and weight of the child, it is important to choose the correct restraint system. An infant weighing less than 20 pounds should be riding in a rear-facing car seat. Rear-facing car seats distribute the impact of deceleration over the entire back and pelvis into a hard resilient shell.

Children Should Never Ride In The Front Seat Of A Car Equipped With A Passenger-Side Air Bag!!!!

An infant weighing more than 20 pounds can be changed to a forward facing position, based on the rational that that this infant has better head control as well as a stronger neck and spinal column. Some people are recommending that all restrained children younger than two years of age or even younger than four ride facing the rear, because, by distributing forces over a wide area, it better protects the head and neck. Preschool children are ready to change into booster seats when:

• they weigh more than forty pounds
• their ears are above the top of the safety-seat back
• when their shoulders are too broad for the safety-seat.

Booster seats may still be needed to improve positioning in the younger and small school-age child. These seats are designed to raise the child up and promote a better fit for the shoulder and lap belts. To function properly, seat belts should be drawn across the upper thighs and snugly across the anterior superior iliac crest. The shoulder strap portion of the three-point restraint system fits over the clavicle and across the center of the upper chest. It is important that the shoulder portion does not cross over the neck because, during a crash, hyper flexion of the cervical spine may result in direct bony and spinal cord injury, if the belt is too high. It is recommended that any child younger than age twelve should sit appropriately restrained in the rear seat. While infants and toddlers have seats that accommodate their anatomy and size, early-grade, school-aged children, who are in transition from infant and safety seats to adult lap-shoulder restraint safety belts, are subjected to the dangers of devices designed for the smallest adult.