How do I know if a child seat is installed correctly?

Do you know if your kids’ car seats are properly installed?

By Product Expert | Posted in Nissan, Safety on Thursday, September 26th, 2019 at 3:24 pm

A stock photo of a Baby On Board sign in the window of a car.

How do I know if a child seat is installed correctly?

September has been National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children ages one to 13. There are a lot of members of the Billion Auto Group team who are parents. All of them had the same thought when they drive their kids anywhere, ‘How do I know if a child seat is installed correctly?’ Nissan has made passenger safety a top priority since the first day its assembly lines started producing vehicles. To honor efforts to keep our roads safe, the automaker has shared a few tips so parents know that their most precious cargo is properly secured.

Expiration dates – Normally, expiration dates are for milk and leftovers in the breakroom fridge. But your child’s car seat can also outlive its useful life. These seats are designed for children of a certain height and weight range. It’s important for parents to remind themselves to check the seats to make sure the seat is still appropriate for the kids using it. A seat that is too small or too big won’t adequately be able to protect the child in the event of an accident.

No wiggle room – Not every vehicle makes it easy to install a car seat. There are a lot of latches and buckles to contend with and it can be difficult to know when everything is as tight as it needs to be. Safety experts say that a properly installed car seat won’t be able to move any more than an inch in any direction. If the seat has more play than that, you should start over and get it right.

Just a pinch – The seats straps need to be tight against the child to be effective. A simple trick to see if the straps are tight enough without, getting crazy, is the so-called, ‘pinch test.’ When the child is in the seat, pinch all the straps and if your fingers don’t pull up the webbing, everything is good. Being able to pinch the straps will mean they’re too loose.