Most people are poorly educated on the importance of car seats. Not only is it important to have a car seat for your young child, but the proper use of it is equally as important.

Heather Starr from Fort Carson, Colorado posted the picture below on her Facebook page. The photo features a young girl who was in a car accident and had some painful bruising on her chest.

It turns out that the bruising she suffered from is exactly what should happen if you’re using your car seat correctly.

The misuse of car seats is very common. The Center for Disease Control conducted a study which found that at least 72% car seats and boosters are used in such a way that would cause more harm than protection to the child if they were in an accident.

It is not enough to have a child simply secured in a car seat or a booster. Safekids.org has a checklist for those who want to ensure that they’re not part of the 72% with misused or poorly installed car seats.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has some excellent recommendations when it comes to fitting a child in a car seat:

-Whether your car seat is forward facing or rear facing you want to make sure the straps are flat and not twisted.

-When your child is buckled in, the harness should be snug. You don’t want there to be loose material at the shoulder.

-The chest clip should be level with your child’s armpits.

Summer is here, which means that frequent trips with the kids are going to be made. Let’s make sure that our kids are safely secured.

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