The top pediatricians group in the U.S. has revised its recommendations regarding child safety restraints. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has announced they advise children to continue to ride in rear facing car seats for as long as possible, until they exceed the seat's height and weight limitations.
The AAP's policy had previously stated that babies weighing 20 pounds or who reached one year old could be graduated to a forward facing car seat. Some experts are concerned that parents are not aware of the safety benefits of keeping the child rear facing for as long as possible.
How Will Rear Facing Seats Help?
The change in policy is primarily based on a 2007 study by the University of Virginia, which found that children under age two were 75 percent less likely to sustain severe or fatal injuries in a car accident when in a rear facing seat.
The shell of a rear facing safety seat supports and protects the bones of the head and neck, which are still structurally immature in children under two years. There are three types of seats that can be assembled to face the rear of a vehicle - an infants only car seat, a three-in-one seat or a convertible seat.
Child safety seats, when installed properly, are very effective in reducing the risk of death in a crash. Using a car seat reduces the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for children ages one to four.
After children have reached the weight capacity for rear facing seats, usually between 30 or 40 pounds, they can graduate to forward facing seats. Again, the child should use the forward facing seat until they have reached the maximum capacity and then should use a safety belt placing booster seat until the standard passenger safety belt fits properly.
The AAP's announcement also advised that children are ready to ride safely without a booster seat when they are 4'9'' tall, which should occur between 8 and 12 years old.
According to the SAFE KIDS Coalition, an Indiana initiative to reduce traffic related child fatalities and injuries, an estimated 83 percent of children ages four through eight ride in a vehicle using adult seat belts that fit improperly. This action may not only fail to protect children but increase the risk of severe injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
