June 2006
Britney Spears: Spotlight on car-seat safety
Photo of her infant son in his car seat illustrates mistakes many parents make
Steps for car-seat installation | Seat types and suggested uses
Headlines were made around the world in May 2006 when a photo of Britney Spears captured the pop singer driving a convertible with her 8-month-old son, Sean Preston, in a car seat installed in the forward-facing position in the back seat of the car. Safety advocates agree that children under 12 months old need to be secured in only rear-facing seats. (See Seat types and suggested uses.)
"Her child is too young to be forward-facing," says Don Mays, senior director of product safety at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. In a crash, "an infant facing forward will suffer a tremendous amount of force to their neck, head, and torso," Mays explains. "In CU's tests of car seats, crash-test dummies nearly fold in half, with the head sometimes hitting the knee. That won't happen in a rear-facing seat."
But Spears' mistake is not unusual, Mays says. More than 80 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly or used improperly. (See our cars blog for more about the Britney car seat episode.)
Steps for car-seat installation
(See car-seat safety tips for more on installation.)
1. Meet requirements for both height and weight.
A child must satisfy both height and weight requirements before sitting forward-facing--not just one criterion or the other. CU recommends that children be, at the very least, 22 pounds as well as 12 months old before facing forward. To be on the safe side, parents can and should consider keeping a child rear-facing until the child's weight meets the upper end of the car seat's recommended weight limit.
2. Install the seat properly.
The safest bet for installation is to have a trained professional do the job. Check with a local fire or police station for the nearest certified inspection location, or go to the SeatCheck or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web sites to find a location.
Seat types and suggested uses
(See more on car seats, including how to choose, types, features, and models for obese children.)
Infant car seats. This type is used for children from newborn to about 22 pounds, and it is used exclusively in the rear-facing position. Never use a rear-facing infant seat beyond the manufacturer's weight limits. (See car seat and, available to .)
Convertible car seats. Parents should opt for a convertible seat next. Some models can be used rear-facing at first and eventually can be put in the forward-facing position. The longer you can keep a child rear-facing, the better, because the force of a crash is distributed along the whole length of the child's torso and head, and both are supported by the car seat. (See convertible seat and, available to .)
Toddler booster seats. In toddler mode with the harness, these accommodate children between about 20 and 40 pounds. When children reach 40 pounds, it can be converted to a booster seat, which children can typically use until they're 80 to 100 pounds. (See toddler booster seat and, available to .)
Booster seats. These are generally for children weighing 40 to 80 pounds. They use the vehicle's own safety belt to restrain the child. (See booster seat Ratings and recommendations, available to .)
Headlines were made around the world in May 2006 when a photo of Britney Spears captured the pop singer driving a convertible with her 8-month-old son, Sean Preston, in a car seat installed in the forward-facing position in the back seat of the car. Safety advocates agree that children under 12 months old need to be secured in only rear-facing seats. (See Seat types and suggested uses.)
"Her child is too young to be forward-facing," says Don Mays, senior director of product safety at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. In a crash, "an infant facing forward will suffer a tremendous amount of force to their neck, head, and torso," Mays explains. "In CU's tests of car seats, crash-test dummies nearly fold in half, with the head sometimes hitting the knee. That won't happen in a rear-facing seat."
But Spears' mistake is not unusual, Mays says. More than 80 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly or used improperly. (See our cars blog for more about the Britney car seat episode.)
Steps for car-seat installation
(See car-seat safety tips for more on installation.)
1. Meet requirements for both height and weight.
A child must satisfy both height and weight requirements before sitting forward-facing--not just one criterion or the other. CU recommends that children be, at the very least, 22 pounds as well as 12 months old before facing forward. To be on the safe side, parents can and should consider keeping a child rear-facing until the child's weight meets the upper end of the car seat's recommended weight limit.
2. Install the seat properly.
The safest bet for installation is to have a trained professional do the job. Check with a local fire or police station for the nearest certified inspection location, or go to the SeatCheck or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web sites to find a location.
Seat types and suggested uses
(See more on car seats, including how to choose, types, features, and models for obese children.)
Infant car seats. This type is used for children from newborn to about 22 pounds, and it is used exclusively in the rear-facing position. Never use a rear-facing infant seat beyond the manufacturer's weight limits. (See car seat and, available to .)
Convertible car seats. Parents should opt for a convertible seat next. Some models can be used rear-facing at first and eventually can be put in the forward-facing position. The longer you can keep a child rear-facing, the better, because the force of a crash is distributed along the whole length of the child's torso and head, and both are supported by the car seat. (See convertible seat and, available to .)
Toddler booster seats. In toddler mode with the harness, these accommodate children between about 20 and 40 pounds. When children reach 40 pounds, it can be converted to a booster seat, which children can typically use until they're 80 to 100 pounds. (See toddler booster seat and, available to .)
Booster seats. These are generally for children weighing 40 to 80 pounds. They use the vehicle's own safety belt to restrain the child. (See booster seat Ratings and recommendations, available to .)
