Image provided by safercar.gov

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages one to 13 years old and this week is National Child Passenger Safety Week, followed by National Seat Check Saturday on September 24th. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the best seat for young children to use is a rear-facing car seat with a harness. Also, it’s advised to keep children in rear-facing car seats as long as possible and transition to a forward-facing seat with a harness when he or she reaches the top height or weight limit. Children should then use a booster seat until they can properly fit in a seat belt, with it lying snuggly across the shoulder and chest, not their neck. Installing car seats can be difficult; one child safety seat inspection station is the Washington County Ambulance at 1120 North 8th Avenue in Washington.

For help finding the right car seat click here.