More than 3 million Texans are hitting the road this Memorial Day holiday weekend for trips of 50 miles or longer, according to AAA Texas. The safety question from Chevrolet: are you sure your children are riding safely?
Statistics show that 73 percent of child seats are not installed or used correctly, but 90 percent of parents and caregivers believe they are not making mistakes.
Until parents/caregivers can get to a car seat checkup event, here five quick checks you can do at home, according to Chevrolet:
Right Seat. This is an easy one. Check the label on your car seat to make sure it’s appropriate for your child’s age, weight and height. Like milk, your car seat has an expiration date. Just double check the label on your car seat to make sure it is still safe.
Right Place. Keep all children in the back seat until they are 13.
Right Direction. Keep your child in a rear-facing car seat until at least age 2. When he or she outgrows the seat, move your child to a forward-facing car seat and make sure to attach the top tether after you tighten and lock the seat belt or lower attachments.
Inch Test. Once your car seat is installed, give it a good shake at the base, near where the seat belt or latchbelt routes through the car seat. Can you move it more than an inch side-to-side or front-to-back? A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.
Pinch Test. Make sure the harness straps are tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check car seat manual). Put the chest clip placed at armpit level, and pinch the strap at your child’s shoulder. If you’re unable to pinch any the strap between your fingers, you’re good to go.