Is your child's carseat safe Published Dec. 17, 2009 3rd Security Forces Squadron ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- During the hustle of our daily lives we often overlook the small things. One thing we should never overlook is the safety of our children. A recent vehicle accident where a 2-month-old infant was ejected from the vehicle because the child was not properly restrained should be a wake-up call to all parents. Some basic safety tips to remember are ensuring the child is fully seated and firmly buckled in. The child shouldn't be able to move around. Every car seat has its own special features, so review the instructions that come with the seat and follow them. Also make sure the seat itself is secured to the vehicle. Read the owners manual for securing car seats. As the temperatures drop, we place additional layers of clothing on our children to keep them warm which creates another safety concern. The added layers require us to loosen the car seat harness so we can place them in the seat. What we don't take into consideration is that during a vehicle accident the layers of clothing are compressed, causing slack in the seat harness and creating enough space for a child to slip through. Again, ensure the child is fully seated, firmly buckled in, and not able to move around. The state law concerning the age, weight and height criteria for using car seats, booster seats and seat belts with children, changed Sept. 14, 2009. Under the new law, children ages four through eight must be in a booster seat or higher-weight car seat if they are shorter than four feet-nine inches and lighter than 65 pounds. If the child is over 8 years old, over 65 pounds or over 4 feet 9 inches, any one of these criteria, it's up to the driver to decide what type of restraint to use. As a reminder, all occupants in a motor vehicle more than 8 years old must be properly restrained by at least a seat belt. Research shows that seat belts fit awkwardly across the bodies of children who are shorter than 4 feet 9 inches, often fitting across the child's belly and neck, making them vulnerable to increased injuries during a crash. A booster seat lifts a child up so that the seat belt fits across the strong bones of the hips, shoulders and chest. Booster seats must always be used with shoulder-lap seat belts. Although state law requires all people in cars to wear seat belts, not just children, the penalty for a child not being properly restrained is higher. The safety of our children is a top priority. Accidents, like the one involving the 2-month-old infant, are what we want to avoid. One way we can accomplish this is to ensure we properly secure our children in the vehicle.