Motor Vehicle Safety:
Car Seats, Child Passengers and Teenage Drivers
Why should parents learn about car safety and kids?
From the time your new baby comes home from the hospital, until they are driving with their own driver’s license, parents need to learn how to maximize their kids’ safety in the car. At each stage, kids are at risk in different ways:
- Most parents don’t know how to use their infant’s or young child’s car seat correctly.
- Too many school-aged kids are in danger because they don’t use a booster seat.
- Some kids are in danger from air bags because they ride in the front seat before they are big enough to do so safely.
- Inexperienced teenage drivers are often overtired, driving under the influence, overly confident in their abilities, or aren’t paying attention because they’re distracted by their friends, cell phone or food.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of accidental death for all young people from one-year-old babies through teens [1] [2]. Too many motor vehicle deaths and injuries could have been prevented. Here, you’ll find the information and tools you need to keep your child safer on the road—whatever their age.
- Watch: This UMHS video will show you how to keep your child passenger safe when riding in the car.
My child already has a good car seat. Do I need to read any of this?
Studies have shown that the majority of car seats are being used incorrectly [3]. There's a good chance yours is one of them. Plus, guidelines keep changing as we learn how to better keep kids safe in the car. Read on to find out more.
What do I need to know about car seats and child passenger safety?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Car seat guide: safety and product information will get you started on how to shop for and correctly install a car seat.
- The AAP now recommends that toddlers use rear-facing seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their rear-facing seat [3a]
- Make sure your car seat can be installed correctly in your car, and fits your child’s size and weight.
- A car seat can be found unsafe and recalled at any time, even years after it was made, so return your registration when you buy a new seat, and check for recalls regularly. Find out more: What are safety seat recalls?
- All children—even school age kids—should ride in the back seat, especially if your car has air bags.
- If your car seat was in a crash you should not use it, even if it looks okay. It may have been weakened.
- Keep your child in a car seat for the longest recommended time. Don’t “graduate” them before they reach both the recommended age and weight.
When should kids use booster seats?
When children outgrow forward-facing child safety seats, they need to use belt-positioning booster seats—until they are big enough to fit properly in an adult seat belt. Most children are between 9 and 12 years old before they grow into the height range in which seat belts fit safely—about 4' 9" in height.
- Booster seats are the law in Michigan, until kids are 8 years old or 4'9" tall.
- If you have bench-style seats without a headrest, use a high-backed booster seat to prevent neck injury in a crash.
When using the car’s safety belt with or without a belt-positioning booster seat, keep in mind these guidelines:
- Never tuck shoulder belts under a kid’s arm or behind their back.
- Make sure the lap belt fits tightly and sits low on the hips, not across the stomach.
What about car seats for children with special health care needs?
Children with special health needs may have special car seat needs. Special car seat needs may arise with premature infants, children with conditions such as spina bifida or cerebral palsy, or children with a broken bone in a cast. Work with your pediatrician, specialty health care provider, and a nationally certified child passenger safety technician to choose the best option for your child.
- Advice from the AAP on transporting chidlren with special needs.
- Read the AAP policy statement on transporting children with special health care needs.
What is LATCH?
LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. It is a car safety seat attachment system that has been developed to make car safety seats easier to use and safer. It makes correct installation easier because with LATCH, you don't have to use seat belts to secure the car seat in your car. Starting in model year 2002, most new cars and most new car safety seats come with lower anchors and attachments.
- Find out everything you need to know about LATCH—even view videos of how to install your seat.
- Sistema de Anclaje LATCH—en Español
Keep in mind, though, that unless both the vehicle and the car safety seat have LATCH, seat belts will still be needed to secure the car safety seat. Unfortunately, this system can be confusing for parents—so make sure you are familiar with how it works. Both the lower anchor and the upper tether must be attached securely.
How can I find out more about car seat and child passenger safety?
- Car seat check-up and recalls: Online car seat checkup from Safety Belt Safe USA helps you make sure your car seat fits right and is adjusted and installed correctly. This website also has pictures of many car seats to help you figure out the brand and make of your seat so you can check to see if it has been recalled.
- More links: Visit these child passenger safety links from the NHTSA for more information. This page also has a handy car seat/booster seat chart with information on what kind of seat is right for each age/size child.
Visit the NHTSA's child seat recall campaign for up-to-date information on recalls or to report a car seat problem.
What other dangers do cars pose to kids?
According to Janette Fennell, Founder & President of Kids And Cars, "In the US, at least 72 children were backed over and killed in 2003; (more than one child per week) often by a relative in their own driveway, and often by a larger vehicle such as a van, SUV or pickup truck."
Find out more about backover accidents, the dangers of leaving kids in cars during warm weather, injuries from power windows, and other preventable car-related causes of injury and death to kids under age 14 at the Kids and Cars website.
Should pregnant women wear seatbelts?
If pregnant women wear their seatbelts, it can save their baby’s life in a car crash. Wear your belt under your belly, at your hips, and use the shoulder belt. Do not tuck the shoulder belt behind yourself.
- Watch: See a video about what University of Michigan researchers found about seatbelts in pregnancy and safety of the fetus.
What about teenage drivers?
Between 2000 and 2003, 77% of accidental deaths among 16- to 19-year-olds were caused by motor vehicle traffic accidents, according to the CDC. In 2003 alone, that was 4733 young lives cut short [4]. Car crashes are also a leading cause of disability related to head and spinal cord injuries in this age group. The AAP policy statement The Teen Driver discusses the extent of the problem, risk factors, and interventions, including the parents’ role.
- Teen driver source is part of the Young Driver Research Initiative, and offers resources for parents, teens, teachers, and more.
- Check out these house rules to help reduce your teen's risk of a crash—also in Spanish (you can download the pdf from these links).
- Find out about the risks of teens driving with their friends as passengers.
- Learn more about the hazards of nighttime driving.
- Using cell phones, text messaging and other technology while driving.
- Parents may want to consider keeping their teen on the learner's permit longer. Research shows that longer learner permit periods can reduce crashes.
Updated March 2011
