CLEVELAND, Ohio — News 5 focuses on your child's health and safety—especially when you get behind the wheel.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, data shows that on average, every 25 seconds a child is involved in a crash while riding in a car.
Half of the car seats are not installed correctly.
This all comes during “Child Passenger Safety Week.”
Experts say simple steps can save your child's life.
When car seats are installed, they reduce the risk of death by more than 70% for infants and more than 50% for toddlers, according to the NHTSA.
The next time you hop in the car with your child, safety experts want you to take an extra moment and focus on the car seat and whether it's secured properly.
Research shows more than 90% of parents think they have installed car seats correctly, but they're using them wrong.
Safety experts say all parents should read the instructions or even watch a tutorial online prior to installation.
Always install the car seat in the back seat.
Never place it in the front due to airbag deployment risks.
Always remove your child's coat as it oftentimes can bunch up or it will leave too much room between the harness.
The harness can even twist in some cases.
Also, make sure the car seat is not forward-facing, especially for the first few years.
Experts say you can fully prevent issues by double-checking.
"A child's bones are not fully hardened. So, when they get thrown forward, all the pressure is going to be there, that's on a forward-facing seat. When you have a rear-facing seat, that rear face acts like a shell, and that protects their spine. So, when they go this way, they're cradled in it and that keeps them safer, which is why rear-facing is now, I think mandated in every state up to age two," Dahlia Rizk, Buckle Me Baby Coats founder and CEO, said.
Rizk says oftentimes, local fire departments can help with the installation process.
Call ahead first and check to see if they can recommend a child safety technician.
Rizk says parents should not feel pressure to get their kids out of the car seat too soon.
Their height and weight hinges on this.
When it comes to buying the best car seat, read reviews online.
NEVER buy a gently used car seat, as it's unclear of the prior condition.
Make sure it's crash-tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Finally, some stores will actually let you test out the car seat before buying it.
Take advantage of that option.
