Choose the right car seat

All 50 states have laws on the books mandating that cars must provide child restraint systems (CRS) for passengers under a certain age and/or size. That’s why the number of children dying in motor vehicle crashes has fallen by 61 percent since the 1970s. Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers.

While these are encouraging statistics, they could be better. It’s also true that in the U.S, almost 50 percent of child safety seats are installed or used incorrectly. Make sure you know how to use the type of CRS you have in your vehicle. Many fire departments and hospital maternity departments will inspect your car seat to make sure it’s installed correctly to protect your small passengers.

Know Which Car Seat You Need

There are three basic types of child safety seats: rear-facing, forward-facing, and booster.

Rear-facing Seats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says rear-facing car seats are required to protect children from infancy through their second year. According to Consumer Reports, in the event of a collision, these seats spread the crash force more evenly across the back of the car seat and the child’s body, and keep the child more contained within the CRS’s protective shell. Many rear-facing seats are also convertible, meaning they can be adjusted as the child grows.

Rear-facing seats also limit the motion of the child’s head, reducing the potential for head, neck, or spine injury. However, you should be aware that this also limits the child’s view outside the car, which may increase their boredom — and their fussiness — during longer trips. Another caveat: rear-facing seats are more difficult to install properly and take up a lot of back-seat space.

Front-facing Seats

These seats are specified for kids from their second year until they’re 4 years old, and/or weigh up to 40 pounds. They’re easier to use, take up less back-seat space, and there’s more visibility for the child. However, these units offer less head, neck, and spine protection than a rear-facing CRS, and getting the harness to fit properly may be a challenge. Children also tend to outgrow these seats more quickly.

Booster Seats

These seats are for older and/or bigger kids who, in addition to weighing more than 40 pounds, should be taller than 38 inches. Most kids don’t attain this level of growth until after their fourth birthday. By the time they’re 8 years old, most have transitioned out of CRS entirely and wear the same three-point restraints as their parents. It’s worth mentioning that the American Academy of Pediatrics says booster seats reduce the child’s chance of injury by 45 percent. Even after children have transitioned out of CRSs, though, those younger than 9 should ride only in the back seat.

The type of seat you put in your vehicle will depend on the laws and standards in force in your state, and there’s considerable variation, state-to-state, in what the law requires. Safe Ride for Kids offers a state-by-state roundup of state statutes.

Sources: chelseababy.com; parents.com

The information included here was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, however Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, SI, and its employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with any training, materials, suggestions, or information provided. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm compliance with any applicable local, state, or federal regulations. Information obtained from or via Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, SI, should not be used as the basis for legal advice and should be confirmed with alternative sources.

7/2025