• Not securing the child in the CSS.
• Not anchoring the CSS with the appropriate vehicle restraint system.
• Positioning an infant facing forward in a vehicle.
• Placing an infant rear-facing in front of an active airbag.

Other types of misuse also may lead to serious injury or death. These include:

• Using the wrong size or type of CSS for your child (for example, placing a child in
  “adult” safety belts prematurely
• Using the CSS harness incorrectly.
• Failing to properly tighten the safety belt through or around the CSS.
• Using an incorrect belt path for the CSS’s seating position.
• Using an incorrect recline angle, especially for an infant.

Even so-called “minor misuse” -- including seemingly “small” usage or installation errors -- can be serious or
life-threatening if not corrected.

For example:

• Failing to put the harness retainer clip at chest level, to keep the harness straps on the child’s shoulders.
• Permitting excess slack in the harness straps.
• Knotting the harness (which reduces its strength).
• Using a CSS that has been in a crash or is more than 10 years old.

As you might imagine, multiple errors compound the risk to the child. Data collected from numerous CSS
checks throughout New York State and elsewhere indicate that the vast majority of child seats checked feature two or
more examples of misuse. In spite of the thousands of potential combinations of child safety seats and automobile models, there is no “secret” to correcting misuse. The two best sources of information available to you are your vehicle owner’s manual and the instruction manual that came with your child safety seat.

How do I know if my child safety seat is improperly installed?

With your vehicle owner’s manual, the instruction manual for your child safety seat and a little knowledge,
you have the tools you need to identify misuse and correct it! However, child passenger safety specialists see many errors of misuse repeated over and over, so here are a few common mistakes to check for:

• Does your car have a passenger-side air bag?
  If so, an infant in a rear-facing child safety seat must NEVER be placed in front of that airbag! Whenever
  possible, children should ride in the rear seat. If toddlers must ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passengerside airbag, the vehicle seat must be moved to the rear, as far from the dashboard as possible.
• Is your infant or child facing the correct way for both his/her age and weight?
  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds, to decrease the risk of cervical spine injury in the event of a crash. Infants who weigh 20 pounds before 1 year of age should continue to ride rear-facing in a convertible seat or infant seat approved for higher weights until at least 1 year of age. If a car safety seat accommodates children rear-facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back.
• Is your infant/child in the appropriate seat for his/her size?
  Each CSS is manufactured to accommodate children within specified weight and height guidelines. If your
  child is outside the recommended ranges for your particular seat, your child may not receive the greatest
  possible safety benefits from that seat. Know your child’s exact weight and height, and check the CSS
  instruction booklet, to be sure the seat fits the child.
• Are the harness straps threaded through the correct slots in the back of the child safety seat?
  Generally, the harness straps of the child seat should be threaded through the harness slots located at or just
  below shoulder level for rear-facing infants, and at or just above shoulder level for forward-facing children.
  READ your child seat instruction manual to be sure!
• Are the harness straps snug?
  They should rest flat against your child’s body, with no slack - your child should not be able to move his or her
  shoulders away from the child seat shell - nor should they be so tight as to cause the child discomfort. The harness retainer clip, which holds the two harness straps in position on your child’s shoulders, should be placed at armpit level.
• Is the vehicle’s safety belt pulled tightly enough to hold the child safety seat in place?
  Here’s how to test for a tight safety belt: Grasp the child seat on either side, at the point where the vehicle
  safety belt is threaded through the belt path. Tug the child seat firmly away from the car seat, then tug it from side to side. Does the child seat move more than one inch away from the car seat? More than one inch from side to side? If it does, the safety belt is not tight enough. To the right is a drawing which demonstrates
  how to better tighten a child safety seat in place. Note that the parent is compressing the child seat into the car seat (placing her knee in the child seat and leaning into it with her body weight) while pulling hard on the loose end of the vehicle seat belt at the same time. (This technique works even better if you use a partner!)
  Remember, there are literally thousands of possible combinations of child safety seats and vehicle seats, and
  many of those combinations are not compatible. That means a parent or caregiver may find it difficult or
  impossible to install a child safety seat properly, even with the help of the vehicle owner’s manual and the CSS
  instruction booklet. Fortunately, there are places to go for assistance from trained child passenger safety professionals. Several are listed below.
• Has your child’s safety seat been recalled?
  Just as automobiles and many other products may be “recalled” for a variety of defects, so may child safety
  seats. When you hear about a CSS being recalled, find out which model and manufacturing date(s) are affected, then call the toll-free number of the CSS company for further information. If you’re not sure whether or not your CSS has been recalled, or you don’t know the correct phone number for the manufacturer, call the Auto Safety Hotline in Washington, D.C., toll-free, at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT. Before you call, write down the brand, model number and manufacturing date of your CSS. This information is printed on labels affixed to the child seat. (If necessary, check under the padding and other less obvious places for the labels.) Bring the seat to the phone so you can answer questions about it.
  
  To review a list of certified child passenger safety technicians and child safety seat checkup events in your
  area, contact the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee at (518) 474-5111, or browse to their
  website (www.safeny.com). The New York State Police also retains a staff of certified CPS technicians throughout the State; to contact the one nearest you, call (518) 457-3258. Finally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also maintains a Web site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov) listing certified child passenger
  safety technicians and other related resources.

If you have any further questions, contact Trooper Wittner at 853-4415, Ext. 4911 or email him at hwittner@ffcsd.org.

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