Buckle Up for Safety: Keeping Kids Safe on Every Ride

By Samantha Simmons, MS

“But Mom, I’m big enough to sit up front!”

If you’ve ever heard this from your child, you’re not alone! As kids grow, they naturally want more independence—including moving out of their car seat, graduating from a booster seat, and eventually claiming the front passenger seat.

But when it comes to riding in the car, growing up doesn’t mean it’s time to rush through the safety stages. The right car seat, the right fit, and the right seat in the vehicle can make a big difference when it matters most.

Choosing the Right Car Seat

Car seats aren’t one-size-fits-all. As children grow, their car seat needs change, too.

Babies and young children should ride rear-facing for as long as possible, until they reach the height or weight limit allowed by their car seat manufacturer. From there, they can move to a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. Once they outgrow those limits, they can graduate to a booster seat until the vehicle's seat belt fits them properly.

It can be tempting to move a child to the next stage because they look “big enough.” But remember: looking big enough and being ready are two different things!

Keeping children in each stage for as long as possible gives them the protection their growing bodies need.

Why the Back Seat Is the Safest Seat

Using the correct restraint is only part of keeping children safe. Where they sit in the vehicle matters, too.

The back seat is the safest place for children to ride. Children should remain in the back seat through at least age 12, and the CDC recommends that children ride properly buckled in the back seat until age 13.

One of the biggest dangers of placing a child in the front seat is the passenger air bag. Air bags are designed to protect adults and deploy with tremendous force during a crash. Because children are smaller and their bodies are still developing, an air bag can cause serious or even fatal injuries.

The safest place for children is the back seat. Research shows that placing children in the rear seat instead of the front seat reduces the risk of fatal injury by about 75% for children up to age 3 and nearly 50% for children ages 4–8.

This is especially important for infants and young children riding in rear-facing car seats. A rear-facing car seat should never be placed in the front seat in front of an active passenger air bag. In a crash, the force of an air bag deploying against the back of a rear-facing car seat can cause severe injuries.

Even as children grow older, there is no need to rush them into the front seat. The back seat provides additional protection and keeps young passengers farther away from many of the forces involved in a crash. Making the back seat the standard place for children to ride is one of the easiest safety habits families can establish.

When Is a Child Ready for a Seat Belt?

Another common question is, “My child can buckle their own seat belt. Do they still need a booster?”

Being able to buckle a seat belt doesn't automatically mean the seat belt fits correctly. A seat belt should sit low across the upper thighs, not across the stomach. The shoulder belt should cross the chest and shoulder, not the neck or face.

A simple way to check the fit is to make sure the child can sit all the way back against the vehicle seat with their knees bending naturally at the edge of the seat. Their feet should reach the floor, and the lap belt should sit low across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should cross the chest and shoulder comfortably. If these things do not happen, the child likely still needs a booster seat.

Safe Kids Burke County Is Here to Help!

At Burke County Public Health, keeping children safe is an important part of our commitment to protecting the health and well-being of children and families in our community.

Through Safe Kids here in Burke County, our local coalition works to prevent accidental childhood injuries by providing education, resources, and community programs for children, parents, caregivers, and community partners.

Safe Kids is led by our Preparedness Coordinator, Todd Staton, and brings together community partners from across Burke County to help keep children safe and prevent childhood injuries. Through collaboration with Burke County Public Safety, local fire departments, WIC, healthcare professionals, and other community organizations, Safe Kids addresses a variety of childhood safety risks. The program provides education and resources on topics such as child passenger safety, fire and burn prevention, bike and helmet safety, medication and poison safety, and more. By working together, our community partners help families learn simple, practical ways to prevent injuries and keep Burke County’s children safe.

Car Seat Checks and Resources for Families

One of the services Safe Kids Burke County provides is child passenger safety inspections, also known as car seat checks. These checks give parents and caregivers the opportunity to have their child’s car seat inspected for proper installation, learn how to use it correctly, and receive guidance on choosing the right restraint as their child grows.

Safe Kids Burke County also provides access to new car seats at reduced prices, helping make proper child passenger safety equipment more accessible to local families.

But our work goes beyond car seats. Led by Preparedness Coordinator Todd Staton, Safe Kids Burke County works with Burke County Public Safety, firefighters, and other community partners to provide injury-prevention education through community events, presentations, health and safety fairs, bike rodeos, medicine drop events, and more.

A Few Seconds Can Make a Difference

Taking a few extra minutes to check your child's car seat may not always feel like the most exciting part of getting ready to leave the house, but it could be one of the most important.

Before you pull out of the driveway, ask yourself:

Is my child in the right seat?

Is the seat installed correctly?

Is the harness snug?

Does the seat belt fit properly?

And are they riding in the back seat?

If the answer is yes, you're off to a great start!

And if you're not sure about something, ask for help. That's what Safe Kids Burke County is here for.

For questions or to schedule a car seat check, contact Safe Kids Burke County at 828-764-9219.