On the Road: Ensuring Child Safety during Summer Travel

    During summer traveling, we all want to make sure that we have everything we need and make sure that we are all safe during these summer family travels, especially our children safety. We all must keep in mind on this safety. Here are some ways on keeping your child safe during your travel:

•  Never leave your child unattended in or around the vehicle and always stay focus on the road while driving.
•  Always remember to lock your vehicle and to keep your keys out of reach so children do not play or get trapped inside.
•  Remember to always check the back seat before you leave the car. When securing children in car seats or booster seats for trips here are some tips. Place the booster seat forward-facing in the back seat. It's best to put it in the middle of the back seat. Make sure the lap belt is flat, low, and tight across your child's hips and the shoulder belt is flat and snug across your child's shoulder, not touching their neck and face. Use either the seat belt or Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system. 
• Use the tether strap to keep the seat extra stable. It's a strap that hooks to the top of the seat and attaches to an anchor in the car. Adjust the harness straps so that they're at or above your child's shoulder level.

    For safety reasons you must choose the right car seat base on the age and size of the child. There are labels that serves as a guide when purchasing a car seat. Parents must check these guides for them to purchase the right car seat depending on the weight and age of the child. If there's none, you can use the Car Seat Finder. This is an easy-to-use tool that lets you compare seats and ease-of-use ratings to find the right car seat for your child. Just fill out your child's age, height and weight above, and you'll be provided car seat types that fit your child.

    Before hitting the road, we want to make sure that we have all seats in correctly for safety measures. Here are some easy steps for rear facing car seat and front facing car seats:

    First Method Rear facing car seats steps on installing are separate the carrier from the base. Anchor the base to your car's back seat. Many car seat bases include an attached belt with two hooks that can latch onto designated spots near your car’s seat belt area. If your car manufacturer included these, snap the hooks onto the metal bars at those designated spots. Tighten the anchor belt attached to the base until the base is snug against the seat. Check the manufacturer's instructions if you aren't sure if your car or seat has this option, or how to use it. There may also be a place to feed the car’s seat belt through the base for added security. Thread the seat belt through the base, alternatively. If your car seat does not use the anchor system, it will be secured to the backseat with the car’s seat belt. Feed the belt through designated openings in the base and buckle it. The seatbelt should fit cleanly, and not be twisted or bunched up. Read the instructions to study where you are supposed to put the belt if you aren't sure. 

    Every vehicle and seat different, so it's important to get this right. Not latching the seat belt correctly can increase the risk of the child getting injured in an accident. Pop the infant carrier into the base. Set it onto the base so that the child would face the rear. It should click when it's in the right position. You can then practice taking the carrier out (by activating the lever or button) and setting it back into get a feel for things. 

    Double check the base angle. Rear facing car seats usually have bases that can rest at different angles. The youngest infants will need to be in the more reclined position. This helps them breathe properly. Most infant carriers have level indicators. Once yours is in place, read this level to see if the seat is at the correct angle for the baby weight/height/age.

    

     Check the manufacturer’s instructions for how to properly read the level if it isn't clear. Change the base angle if the level is not correct or your child. Usually, this involves turning the base over and rotating a piece. Remember to change the angle later (or switch to a different seat) if the baby outgrows one setting. 

    Second method installing front facing car seat. Thread the seat belt through the car seat. The back and/or bottom of the forward-facing car seat should have openings where a back seat belt should pass through so it can be buckled on the other side. After pulling the belt through and buckling it, push down on the car seat and pull on the belt so that it locks. Make sure that the belt is not twisted or bunched up as you pull it through. Anchor the seat with the tether. 

    Many forward-facing car seats include an attached tether that feeds over the top of the vehicle’s seat and latches onto a metal anchor on the back. Locate this anchor and latch the tether belt to it, tightening it afterwards. Consult your vehicle’s manual if you can’t find an anchor. Attach the car seat to the vehicle’s seat with latches, alternatively. Your forward-facing seat may instead use the latch system. Two buckles with metal hooks attached to the bottom of the car seat should latch onto designated spots where the back and bottom of the vehicle’s seat meet. Pull on the belt of the buckles to tighten. A forward-facing car seat with the latch system may also include a tether and/or place to feed the seatbelt through. If so, use these in addition to the latch system to make the seat as secure as possible. If the child is old enough to be out of a car seat or a booster, make sure the child is always buckled in with the seat belt as well. Each time of getting into your vehicle with the child you must regularly checking and adjusting car seat straps. You can do the Pinch Test. If you can pinch and hold any harness webbing between your thumb and index finger, the harness is too loose. The harness is considered tight enough when you are unable to pinch ANY webbing between your fingers.