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Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Where is the safest place in the car for my child to sit? A. The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) strongly advises parents to insist that children 12 and under ride belted in the back seat. When possible, have your child ride in the middle of the back seat (or in the center seat of a van or station wagon), which is the safest spot in any car. Studies have shown the placing a child in the back seat can reduce a child’s risk of injury or death in a crash by 30% compared to the front seat. Placing your child in the center of the back seat, where possible, provides further protection for your child in the event of a side impact. Put simply, placing your child in the center of the back seat puts more room between your child and the striking car in the event of a side impact. Where it is not possible to secure your child or the child restraint seat in the center rear position, or if you are carrying more than one child in your car, then it will be necessary for you to use the outboard or side seating positions in the rear seat Q. Can I use only a lap belt with a booster seat? A. No. Never use a lap belt only with a booster seat! Older vehicles were equipped only with lap belts in the center rear seating position. In those vehicles, if your child is using a booster seat or is old or tall enough to use the adult seat belts, they should be seated in the outboard positions so that they can use the available three point seat belts (lap and shoulder belts) which provide better protection. Q. What do I do if my car or truck does not have a back seat or if the back seat is too small to fit a child safety seat? A. If you must transport your child in the front passenger seat of your vehicle, first determine if your vehicle is equipped with a passenger front airbag. If it is, determine if your vehicle is equipped with an airbag deactivation switch. Newer vehicles that do not have a rear seat, especially pick-up trucks, are typically equipped with a deactivation switch that is operated using the ignition key. If your vehicle is equipped with a deactivation switch, turn the passenger front airbag “off”, then move the front passenger seat to its rear most position. If your passenger front air bag cannot be turned off, you must never place a rear facing infant seat in the front passenger seat. In the event of a crash, a passenger airbag deploys rapidly and can strike the back of an infant seat with great force that can seriously injure or kill an infant. If you must use this vehicle to transport your infant, first request permission from NHTSA to have your passenger airbag disconnected.
With respect to toddlers and children, the passenger airbag can also seriously injure or kill them if they are too close to the airbag when it deploys. Move the passenger seat to its rearward most position and be sure to properly secure your child and any child safety seat your child may be using. Never allow any child to take off their seat belt or get out of their child restraint while the vehicle is moving, and never allow any child to lean forward towards the front passenger airbag. Never allow any child to wear a backpack while being secured in their child safety seat or seat belt. While this may reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt or child safety seat, it also moves the child closer to the passenger front airbag.
Q. Can I put a child in the front passenger seat of my car? A. Studies have shown that placing a child in the back seat can reduce a child’s risk of injury or death in a crash by 30% compared to the front seat, so it always safer to place the child in the rear seat. If your vehicle does not have a back seat, or if the child safety seat does not fit in the rear seat, or if your are transporting too many kids to seat them all in the back seat, first determine if your vehicle is equipped with a passenger front airbag. If it is, determine if your vehicle is equipped with an airbag deactivation switch. Newer vehicles that do not have a rear seat, especially pick-up trucks, are typically equipped with a deactivation switch that is operated using the ignition key. If your vehicle is equipped with a deactivation switch, turn the passenger front airbag “off”, then move the front passenger seat to its rear most position. If your passenger front air bag cannot be turned off, you must never place a rear facing infant seat in the front passenger seat. In the event of a crash, a passenger airbags deploys rapidly and can strike the back of an infant seat with great force that can seriously injure or kill an infant. If you must use this vehicle to transport your infant, first request permission from NHTSA to have your passenger airbag disconnected. Q. My pick up truck has a side facing jump seat in the rear. Can I use a child safety seat in that seating position? A. No. Installation of child safety seats on side-facing jump seats is strictly prohibited by child seat manufacturers. Q. Can 2 people use the same seat belt? A. No. Seat belts are designed and engineered to protect one person only! Tragically, many children and infants have needlessly died because people have failed to follow the simple “one seat belt, one person” rule. If more than one person is using the same seat belt, the seat belt cannot properly protect both people. In addition, the two people sharing the same seat belt can violently collide with one another causing serious or fatal injuries. In some instances, persons have held children or infants on their lap and placed the seat belt over both of them. In crashes, however, infants and children in these positions have been killed when the adult holding them has literally crushed them between the weight of their body and the seat belt trying to restrain the adult. Q. Can I continue to use a child safety seat after an accident? A. NHTSA believes that currently sold child safety seats are sufficiently durable that they do not have to be automatically replaced following a minor crash. According to NHTSA, a crash is considered to be minor—and the child seat involved in it is safe for reuse—if it meets ALL of the following criteria:
NHTSA now advises parents and caregivers that child safety seats should be replaced if the vehicle has been involved in a moderate or severe crash. Q. Is my current child safety seat still safe to use? Check the child safety seat for the following:
Q. Where can I get help to correctly install my child’s safety seat? A. For specific information about installing your car safety seat you may consult a certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician. A list of certified CPS Technicians is available by state or ZIP code on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/contacts/ A list of inspection stations staffed by certified CPS Technicians is available at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/cpsfitting/ You may also contact NHTSA’s Auto Safety Hot Line at 888/DASH-2-DOT (888/327-4236), from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday.
 
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Rear-facing child restraints SHOULD NOT be used in the front seat with a passenger airbag. The forces of the inflating airbag against the back of the restraint can cause serious, even fatal head injuries. Courtesy: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
