Source: AgriLife Today
Using rear-facing safety seats for small children in vehicles is still the “best and safest” practice for parents and other caregivers, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program manager based in College Station.
Bev Kellner said although a new rear-facing law passed by this year’s state legislature was vetoed, the best way to protect young children in vehicles remains keeping them in a rear-facing safety seat for as long as the child is within the weight and height limit of the seat.
Rear-facing convertible seats support at least 40 pounds, with some rated up to 45 or 50 pounds, which could easily accommodate a child to age 3 or older.
She said a small child’s head is about 25% of their body length versus about 14% for an adult, so that extra weight needs strong neck and spine support during a crash, when the head can be violently snapped forward causing spinal injury.
“The rear-facing car seat supports the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers, and distributes crash forces over the entire body rather than just at the harnesses,” she explained. “The child in a rear-facing safety seat is the safest passenger in a vehicle.”
She said for a car seat to do its job correctly, it must be appropriate for a child’s age, size and developmental stage. It also must be adjusted to fit the child securely and be installed properly in each vehicle.
Kellner also noted children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for their car seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle lap-and-shoulder seat belt fits properly. Typically, this happens between 8 and 12 years of age.
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