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The Honolulu Advertiser
Center seat, in back, is safest place for keiki | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Center seat, in back, is safest place for keiki

 •  Outlook grim for tot hurt in crash

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Nola Faria, a registered nurse and clinical coordinator for community and outreach education at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, said experts recommend keiki younger than 1 year be secured in rear-facing safety seats properly installed in the back seat of a car.

The center seat is the safest if the protective infant carrier can be properly secured, Faria said. If the center seat cannot be used, then either one of the "outboard" rear seat positions is the next best choice, Faria said.

If there is no option but to transport an infant in a safety seat in the front passenger seat, the air bag for that side of the car should be disabled, Faria said.

Tips from the Hawai'i Department of Health Injury Prevention and Control Program:

  • Infants, from birth to at least age 1, and at least 20 pounds, should ride in the back seat in a rear facing safety seat.

  • Harness straps should be at or below the infant's shoulders.

  • The straps should fit snuggly and lie in a relatively straight line.

  • The harness chest clip should be placed at the infant's armpit level. This keeps the harness straps positioned properly.

  • Infants weighing 20 pounds or more before 1 year should ride in a convertible child safety seat rated for heavier infants (most convertible seats are rated up to 30 to 35 pounds, rear facing).

    Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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