Photo Credit: Consumer Reports.
CBS News reports that the American Academy of Pediatrics is updating its guidelines for keeping children in rear-facing car seats until they reach the seat manufacturer’s maximum height and weight limit — even if the child is older than 2. Under these new guidelines, most kids would keep using rear-facing car seats until they are about 4 years old.
According to Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, “the most dangerous thing that U.S. children do as part of daily life is ride in a car. Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for children 4 years and older.”
Natasha Young, a certified technician for Safe Kids Worldwide, stated that parents often make the mistake of turning their kids around too soon because their child might be fussy or the parents want to be able to see their child while in the car seat.
Rear-facing car seats provide greater protection to a child’s body, especially the head and neck, in the event of a crash.
Read the CBS News report and view the related video at CBS News Car Seat Safety.
Be safe!