The middle of the back seat is considered the safest position for a child in a car. This position is furthest from any possible point of impact.

The MTO recommends that children under the age of 13 years be placed in the back seat of the vehicle and away from active front air bags. Yes, the tether strap is required when using the latch system on a forward facing seat. The latch system is an alternative to using a seat belt and does not replace the tether strap. A tether strap must be used to prevent the forward motion of forward-facing car seats.

All car seats purchased in Canada must have a sticker on the seat that states they meet Transport Canada's Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 213 (CMVSS). Seats that do not meet this standard can not be sold or used in Canada. All models are crash tested for safety. There are different types of seats and harness systems available. They are all safe provided they meet this standard. You can use the seat system that is most comfortable for you and your child.

There are a lot of car seats out there. Many tout having extra features to increase safety. Ultimately, however, the safest car seat for your child is the one that best:

The best location for your car seat is in the middle of the backseat. If you can't get a good fit there (the seat moves less than 1" when tugged at the belt path) then either outboard position in the back is safe. Children under the age of 13 should always ride in the back seat. NEVER put a rear-facing seat in front of an airbag.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that all children 12 and under be restrained in the rear seat. Researchers estimate that putting a child in the back seat instead of the front reduces the chance of injury and death by more than 30%, whether or not the car has a passenger air bag. The center of the back seat is the farthest away from a possible side impact, so we always try first to install a safety seat there.

The safest seat is one that fits your child, fits your vehicle, and one that you will use correctly each and every time. Car seats with a 5 pt. harness offer the best protection (visit CPSafety to learn why). Car-Safety.Org has a great guide to buying a carseat.

Generally, yes. Though there appears to be no evidence that this is unsafe, at least one company, Evenflo, used to recommend that you do NOT install many of their carseat models in front of a fold-down armrest. Ford has a similar recommendation for some of its vehicles. Please consult the owner's manual of your vehicle and carseat before making this decision.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that all children 12 and under be restrained in the rear seat. Researchers estimate that putting a child in the back seat instead of the front reduces the chance of injury and death by more than 30%, whether or not the car has a passenger air bag. The center of the back seat is the farthest away from a possible side impact, so we always try first to install a safety seat there.

Airbags can be deadly to infants in rear-facing carseats, and to children 12 and under using the seatbelts. The front seat is generally not recommended for children 12 and under. The airbag MUST be disabled if you must use a rear-facing child seat in the front. Some vehicles without a rear seat, especially pickup trucks, have an on/off switch for this purpose. If a child must ride in the front, you should also move the front seat as far back as it will go.

NO. The back seat has always been safer, even before there were air bags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a study of children who died in crashes in the front and back seats of vehicles, very few of which had passenger air bags. The study concluded that placing children in the back reduces the risk of death in a crash by 27 percent, whether or not a child is restrained.

Answer: This scenario is OK, and one of the reasons there are such backed booster seats. The BAD scenario is when you have a backless booster and the child's head (by the ears) is above the back of the vehicle seat. In the event of a crash with the child in this scenario, there is a possibility of whiplash because the head/neck is not supported. Answer: Absolutely.

Currently the gogo kidz only works with the Britax car seats; however we have a new model that will be released in late June/July that will accommodate other major brand car seats.

Answer: Currently there are not. Graco considers safety a top priority. With that in mind, Graco has tested their car seat accessories with Graco car seats.

We admit that there's a slight disadvantage in purchasing your car seat online since you're not able to 'try before you buy'. However, we have the detailed specifications for each seat on our website. Also, there's a great resource website called www.CarSeatData.org that has an online database of car seat and vehicle compatibility. The information is compiled by Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.

The safest child safety seat is one that will "fit" your child, that is comfortable, that "fits" in your car, the seat is used all the time and it is affordable.

The Ministry does not recommend particular brands of child car seats. All child safety seats manufactured for sale in Canada must have a Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) label or statement of compliance on the seat. Child car seats without this label or compliance statement do not meet CMVSS requirements. Car seats made for the U.S. market have different compliance requirements. Yes.

Out in the open where nothing can fall on you. People don't get hurt by earthquakes. People get hurt by buildings, or pieces of buildings falling on them. If you're inside a building, get under a strong piece of furniture, a desk or a table, something to keep between you and falling debris or breaking glass. If you are outside the building move away from the building as quickly as possible. More on this subject in our Safety and Preparedness area.

All seats are just about the same, so there is no safest place to sit. In an accident where the plane is seriously damaged or one or more people are injured or killed, the severity of the injuries depends on many factors, some of which may not be apparent until an accident occurs. As an example, there have been many accidents involving heavy smoke or fire where survival depended on the ability of the passengers to not panic.

Every third Thursday of the month, from 10:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M., Bend Fire offers free help to install your child car seat correctly. The clinic is held at 1212 SW Simpson Avenue.

No. Isaac®can be used with any racing seat provided it has normal, three-inch wide belts. A more reclined angle allows more body motion forward, regardless of the head and neck product you use, but does not alter the general range of head and neck loads. Also, it works great with an office chair! Just attach some belts to the chair and jump in with your helmet and Isaac® for some great holiday party fun.

Many parents think their children are too big for car seats or have outgrown their booster seats. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that children should be restrained in a booster seat until they are 4'9" and about 80 pounds. Regular seat belts are made for men who are 5'10" and 160 pounds. They are not designed to secure a child under 80 pounds. Yes, this quite possibly means that your 10 year old should still be in a booster seat!

The truth is, there is not a "best" car seat. The best style of seat is one with a five-point harness system. Other than that, find a car seat that fits your car, your child and your budget. Remember that spending more does not always equal a safer seat.

No. The safety standard does not require that both systems be used together. Child restraints are tested to ensure compliance with Federal safety standards when (1) attached to a vehicle using the LATCH system, and (2) attached using the vehicle belt system without LATCH. The LATCH system was designed to make child safety seat installation easier, without using seat belts. Yes, as long as it does not interfere with a secure fit of the child safety seat and correct installation.

Answer: First, try to remove the headrest to promote a better fit/match to the vehicle seat contour. If you cannot remove the headrest, try another seating position or raise/lower the headrest to minimize the interference. Also, you could recline the vehicle seat slightly to make up for the interference. If the interference is extreme, and other alternatives don't work, and your child is within the correct height and weight, remove the back and use the booster as a backless booster.

Maybe. Integrated carseats, especially those with a harness, may have some disadvantages when used as the primary restraint for a child: Emergency personnel often prefer to remove a child in a separate carseat. This keeps the child immobilized in case of head/spinal injury, and may allow for safer transport in the ambulance. Integrated seats do not function rear-facing. Rear-facing is safest for children, and many separate carseat models allow for rear-facing use to 30 or 35 lbs.

The answer may be surprising. Most people believe that hand washing is better. Two university studies and thousands of professional car washers, including ECO, know the answer. Automatic washing with 100% soft cloth is far superior to hand washing.

For front-facing child seats, or if you don't have a passenger-side airbag: you can if you want, but as always, the safest place by far is in the back. For rear-facing child seats, and if your car has a passenger-side airbag: the one-word answer is "No" (the two-word answer is "Definitely Not"). The reason for this is that an airbag can suddenly push the child seat up and back with a lot of force, which will likely throw the baby from the seat and cause injury.

Most airlines accept car seats in addition to normal carry on or checked luggage provided approved space is available. When checking your car seat on a US Domestic or International flight you can bring your car seat to the gate to be loaded there. If checking a car seat as luggage the original box/packaging should be used. A liability release form must be signed.