After a terrifying accident just minutes from home, Mom Jenna Rabberman posted this photo to show the importance of properly strapping children into the correct car seats every time. And this one really drives the point home
THIS is why you buckle your kids into their car seats correctly every SINGLE time. Even when they scream because the straps are tight. Even when they complain about the chest clip or being rear facing. We stopped for milk on the way home from preschool yesterday. We were minutes from home. Another car slammed into us. You never think it will happen to you. My boys escaped without a scratch but the paramedics told me it could have been very different had I not taken the extra 2 minutes to be sure they were buckled correctly. I will be fine, my kids are fine, everything else can be replaced. Sending thanks to God for keeping us safe (along with Honda, Graco & Chicco).
Original post below:
Alisa Baer, also known as The Car Seat Lady and an expert in car seat safety, told ABC News that there are four things often overlooked when it comes to proper car seat usage:
1. Transitioning too soon: This can be from rear-to-front facing or from a five-point-harness to a booster seat (where the vehicle seat belt is used as the form of restraint) and to just the seat belt alone.
2. Not using the tether strap: Baer said that every forward facing car seat manufactured in the United States comes with a tether strap and every vehicle manufactured since 2000 comes with three places to secure that strap. The tether is important, she said, because it reduces head movement by 4 to 6 inches. Head injuries are the most common form of injury in a car crash.
3. Everyone, including adults, need to be buckled especially while in the back seat: Baer said that even if a child is restrained properly, an unbelted adult can become a "human missile" in a car crash, severely injuring others in the car. Studies show, she said, that the people who aren't buckled up are up to three times more likely to die in that same crash.
4. Check snugness: Baer said, "Make sure the seat is snug to the car and the child snug in the harness."