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Car Seat Safety Ratings: Making Sure You Have a Safe Trip

Road accidents are not completely avoidable. Keeping your cool and making sure your car is finely tuned is not enough to make sure that you'll never get hurt. Like every other activity, driving comes with its own risks, some of them fatal. But how do you make sure you're able to minimize damage in accidents? One of the ways is by paying close attention to car seat safety ratings before buying car seats. This is especially important if it's your child's safety on the line!

It's not enough to find the cheapest and most popular infant safety seat around. You have to find a car seat that fit your child's specific needs: it has to be a seat that your child is comfortable with, and one that fits snugly on the seats of your vehicle. But you might find yourself overwhelmed with the number of models that fulfill this basic requirement. Narrow down your options by listening to the experts. When looking for a child car seat, safety ratings will allow you to make the absolute best choice among your prospects.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Ease of Use Rating Program has been the recognized authority in assuring compliance with safety and quality regulations for car implements. It has also helped in raising the standards of security and safety for vehicle safety restraints for children. Recently, in 2005, the organization reported the most positive results for the program: no child safety restraints fell under the C rating. There may have been several C scores in specific categories, but these are definitely less than the C scores that registered in 2004.

You should only go for seat with an overall NHTSA rating of A or B. You may check the NHTSA website at www.nhtsa.dot.gov for the latest ratings for commercially available car seat models.

You should observe practical safety rules, as well. It's a well-known fact that the backseat is the safest place for passengers, especially little children. Therefore some parents choose to place their infants in rear-facing child car seats in the backseat. At the same time, many parents also prefer placing their safety seats in the passenger side, so they could watch over their little ones.

But there's a reason why many parents consider front-facing infant seats safer than rear-facing ones. Never put your child in a rear-facing seat in the front seat of your car, especially if your car has an airbag: this might cause more harm to the child in case of an accident. And we all know that the passenger side is the most dangerous part of the car! Rear-facing seats, however, are recommended for babies who are less than 20 pounds, and who may be safely deposited in the backseat.

Car seat safety ratings allow you to make the practical choice when looking for infant car seats. Remember: it's not just the look or the price. A high overall rating for your child's safety seat could also spell out peace of mind.