Keeping children safe in crashes

More than 1,000 children 12 and younger in passenger vehicles die in crashes every year, and more than 100,000 are injured. Parents can reduce the risk to their kids by properly securing them in the back seat of their vehicle.

The videos below are designed to help parents choose the right type of restraint for their child's age and size and to provide general information on installation and use.

• Overview (watch first): for parents of all children

• Rear-facing: for parents of infants — newborns to at least 1 year and 20 lbs
• Forward-facing: for parents of toddlers
• Booster seats: for parents of children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats
• Adult belts: for parents of older children

Booster seats

Booster seats can improve the fit of adult belts for children who have outgrown child restraints, but not all boosters provide the recommended belt fit. It's important to ensure that the lap belt fits low across the upper thigh, not across the child's soft abdomen. The shoulder belt should cross snuggly over the center of the shoulder.

What if my vehicle doesn't have shoulder belts?

Adult belts

When older children start using the vehicle belts, the shoulder belt should rest across the chest, away from the neck, and the lap belt should fit low and snug across the upper thigh. Your child needs to sit straight up with knees bent at the edge of the seat.

Summary of new Institute research on lap belts and booster seats — study conducted with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

LATCH
Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) makes it easier to attach child restraints securely to vehicle seats. LATCH was installed in some vehicles as early as the 2001 model year and was required in all passenger vehicles by model year 2003. Child restraints have been required to be compatible with the LATCH system since 2002.

Lower attachments connect to anchors in the seat. The two common types of attachments are C-hook (top photo) and flexible hook (bottom photo).

Anchor points usually are marked on the seat.

For forward-facing seats, top tethers are most commonly attached to anchors on the rear shelf (photo below) or on the vehicle seatback, but check your vehicle owner's manual for the location in your vehicle.