New State Law for Car Seats

http://www.uticaod.com/health/x1136015094/Buckle-up-baby

Starting November 24, state law will require that all children younger than 8 ride in car or booster seats. Safety experts recommend booster seats until the child is 4ft. 9in. tall. 

3 out of 4 car seats are not installed correctly and therefore not keeping children as safe as they should be, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To help parents install these seats correctly, the website www.carseatdata.org provides a list of which car seats are compatible with which vehicles. 

The risk of car accidents is much higher now than in previous generations because there are more cars on the road. It is more important than ever to keep children secure in the car. 

For the best protection, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends keeping infants in rear-facing child safety seats for as long as possible, until they reach the maximum weight or height limit, or at least until 1 year old and 20 pounds heavy. Once the rear-facing seat has been grown out of, a forward-facing seat can be used until the weight or height limit of that seat is reached. After that, use a booster seat in the back seat of the car until the child is big enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit properly. The lap belt should be across the upper thigh and the shoulder belt should be across the chest. It is recommended that children younger than 13 always ride in the back seat.