Unless you regularly check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website like me, you probably missed Child Passenger Safety Week in September. The Department of Transportation does their best to raise awareness about keeping kids safe in the event of a crash, but sometimes the message gets lost under banal stats and minimal fanfare.

What made this public service announcement notable was the release of a survey detailing the five most common mistakes made in child safety by parents. About one in five parents don’t bother to read the installation instructions for their child’s car seats. Regardless, 90 percent were totally confident of their safety restraints. Here are the top five mistakes:

1. Wrong harness slot: Often, children were strapped in using a slot that’s too low or too high for optimum safety in the event of a crash.

2. Chest harness disregarded: The survey found the chest harness was commonly clipped over the tummy instead of the chest or just not clipped [Read more…]