by Detective Jamie Teddy
After serving as a police officer for several years, I became interested in becoming a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) in 2005 soon after my first child was born. I was overwhelmed with the numerous options and brands of car seats on the market and even more frustrated with how difficult it was to install them into a vehicle properly, even after reading the vehicle and car seat manuals numerous times. It is no wonder that over 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly nation-wide. It can be a confusing task! With that in mind, I approached my supervisor (the Chief of Police at Saginaw Valley State University’s Police Department) and was able to convince him why I should become a certified CPST for our agency. I’ve been educating and helping the public, faculty, staff and students of the University tackle their concerns with child passenger safety ever since. In this article, I will attempt to explain Michigan’s current child restraint law, discuss the benefits of keeping a child rear-facing longer, address a common mistake involving booster seats and overview some different types of car seats on the market.
Michigan Law addresses the minimal needs required in our state for child passenger safety. Minimally speaking, Michigan law requires all passengers ages 0-3 to be properly secured in an approved Child Restraint System in a rear seat, if available. All passengers shall be “properly” secured in an approved child restraint system ages 4-7 and who are under 4’9”. If a child is less than 8 years old, and less than 4’9,” they are required to be secured in a booster seat. (See the Michigan Legislative Website links below for more specifics.)
Michigan law does not specifically address rear-facing and forward-facing car seats. Many people ask how old their child should be before they move the child from rear- facing to forward-facing. Experts of injury prevention now recommend keeping children rear-racing until two years of age, if the rear-facing child restraint being used specifies that it can properly secure that child within its appropriate height and weight limitations in the rear-facing mode. Some child restraints only allow a child to remain rear-facing up to 22 pounds, while other child restraints will support a child rear-facing for up to 40 pounds. The child’s seated height is also a consideration. Rear-facing a child seat as long as possible significantly reduces the likelihood of neck and spinal cord injuries during a traffic crash, because it spreads the force of a crash across the back of the car seat. When you turn the child forward-facing, the forces of a traffic crash resort to the harness and the child’s head is hurled forward, causing a very increased risk of neck and spinal cord injuries. Many parents are concerned that they can’t keep their children rear-facing for two years, because the child’s legs look too cramped. Best practice says, if the child doesn’t know the difference of having leg-room yet, keep them rear- facing as long as possible. It is acceptable for the child to have a bend at the knee while rear-facing.
Another mistake often observed in the “car seat world” is parents moving their child into a booster seat scenario too soon. If a child is still able to fit into their forward facing 5-point harness car seat within that seat’s height and weight limitations, refrain from moving them into a booster seat too soon. A car seat with a 5-point harness system is more ideal for a child who is not mature enough to wear and keep the lap and shoulder belt of a seatbelt on properly. A car seat will also provide additional head support than a backless booster when a child falls asleep in their seat. This is a consideration especially to a child who is seated in an outboard seating position near a window or side air curtain (air bag).
Many parents ask me what car seat they should purchase and what seats are the safest. As a technician, I can’t advocate for a certain brand of seat. I will say that, like many things in life, there are going to be different quality seats on the market to choose from that vary in price, and that all car seats sold in the United States are required to meet the minimal federal guidelines for safety. Some car seats are known to support larger children longer, while other car seats are known for their narrow width to effectively fit three car seats across the back seat of a mid-sized vehicle. Some car seats are designed to eliminate the need to upgrade to a new seat when the child grows and can support a tiny infant through the booster seat phase. These are all things that can be researched via the internet or during individual communications with a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.
In summary, Michigan law only addresses the minimum standards of child passenger safety and does not address best practice scenarios. Infants and toddlers should use an infant seat and/or a rear-facing convertible car seat within the proper height and weight limitations of the seat. Toddlers and preschoolers should use convertible car seats and forward-facing car seats with a harness within the proper height and weight limitations of the car seat. School-aged children should use booster seats until they turn 8 years of age or are 4’ 9.” A good rule of thumb is to read the vehicle and car seat’s owner’s manuals to decide when the child is ready to graduate to the next level of car seat, and to seek advice from a certified CPST when in doubt.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions in regards to Child Passenger Safety, or to schedule an individual appointment for a free car seat inspection.
Detective Jamie Teddy
Saginaw Valley State University Police
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710
Office: 989-964-4120
FAX: 989-790-0046
[email protected]
Useful Child Passenger Safety links:
Michigan Vehicle Code for Child Safety Seats
Michigan Vehicle Code for Seatbelts