Did you know only 5% of car seats are being using correctly? This includes the way the car seat is installed into the car and the way the child is restrained into the car seat or booster seat itself. Here is a video demonstrating what happens to the car seat and to the child when the car seat is not used properly.
In this video there were the following errors:

1.    Loose safety belt

2.    Loose and incorrectly routed harness straps

3.    Low harness clip

Let’s go into more depth on each one of these.

Loose Safety Belt

              The safety belt is the part of the car seat that attaches to the car. This could be done with the actual seat belt or with something called the LATCH system. According to the car seat manufacturer Britax:

“LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. LATCH is required on car seats and in most vehicles manufactured on or after Sept. 1, 2002, to make car seat installations easier. However, even in vehicles equipped with LATCH, parents can still secure the child seat using the vehicle seat belt and tether.”

              As you can see in the video above, a loose safety belt does not keep the car seat secure enough in the event of an accident. The car seat can go  flying out of place and in some cases even be ejected from the car. When the car seat is properly installed with the safety belt or LATCH system it also protects the child from some of the force by securing the car seat to the seat of the car.

Loose and incorrectly routed harness straps

              The harness straps are what keep the child restrained within the car seat. The video shows how the child moves forward due to the loose straps. This could result in severe spinal and neck injuries, especially in younger children. The harness straps must be taught and snug against the child and they should not be able to wiggle out of them. Even if the car seat is installed correctly in the car, having loose straps could mean the child slips out of the car seat all together. This could mean being ejected from the car or falling out completely if the car happens to roll over.

Low harness clip

              All infant carriers, convertible car seats, and some booster seats in the United States are made with a 5 points harness. The harness clip is the piece that should clip over the child’s chest. This is so vitally important. Improper clip placement could mean damage to internal organs, broken ribs, or the child slipping out of the car seat. The chest clip should be snug and level with the child’s armpits. This prevents the child from being able to slip out and also has the impact around the strongest part of the child’s torso, rather than down below above their organs.

This chest clip is way to low and would crush the internal organs. The straps are also too loose and the child could easily fall out of be ejected from the car seat.
As you can tell all these elements are equally important for the proper use of car seats. Make sure to check out this video HERE where we will go over how to check your car seat for proper installation and use.

It is important to note that you must always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on proper installation and use for your specific car seat.