The St. Lawrence County Child Passenger Safety Program is warning parents and caregivers of the dangers of improperly installed car seats as National Child Passenger Safety (Sept. 20-26) week nears.

Every day in America, children are riding in car seats that have not been installed correctly, or are riding in the wrong car seats for their ages and sizes, while other children are riding completely unbuckled.

“Around 90% of the time a car seat is installed incorrectly, and it can be as simple as the seat base moving more than one inch or the angle is incorrect” said Carrie Conger, Traffic Safety Information Specialist for St. Lawrence County. “Using car seats that are age- and size-appropriate is the best way to keep your children safe.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are a leading killer of children, and fatalities are on the rise. Car seats, booster seats, and seat belts can make all the difference.

She added that too often, parents move their children to the forward-facing car seat before they should, which increases the risk of injury and death. The safest place for all kids under age 13 is in the back seat and buckled up.

“It’s our job to keep our children safe,” said Carrie Conger. “Get your car seats checked. Make certain they’re installed correctly, and that your kids are in the right seats, buckled in correctly. Even if you think your child is safe, it’s always a good idea to have it checked again, so you can ensure that your child is the safest he or she can be while traveling.”

Things to know:

1. New York State requires all children remain rear-facing until the age of 2, or for as long as possible.

2. Rear facing children should have their harness straps at or just below their shoulders, the chest clip should be armpit level and tight to not allow any pinch in the fabric.

3. Forward facing car seats should have their harness straps at or just above their shoulders, with the chest clip at armpit level and tight to not allow any pinch of the fabric.

4. If you choose to install the seat with the lower anchors make sure to read your car’s owner’s manual to check the weight the anchors can hold.

5. When forward facing make sure to use the tether, the anchor at the top of the car seat for forward facing seats and convertibles (only when forward).

6. Before you let your child ride without a booster you should make sure they can sit all the way back in the seat without a booster, their feet touch the floor, knees bend at the edge, and the seat belt hits at the hips and collar bone. This is to ensure the seat belt is fitting correct. If the seat belt is not in the correct position it could result in death in the event of a crash.

For more information or to have your child’s seat looked at please contact Carrie Conger at 315-386-2207 or cconger@stlawco.org as seats can be checked by appointment.

For more information about car seat safety or to find a car seat technician in your area please visit www.safekids.org or www.nhtsa.gov/carseat.

The St. Lawrence County Program is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.