GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Winter coats and car seats, they work together to keep kids safe and warm during the cold weather, but not in the way you may think.
Michigan Auto Law Attorney Brandon Hewitt explain how parents should be buckling-in their little ones this winter. He suggests parents remove the coat before securing the child and then covering them with their coats or a blanket.
Hewitt cautioned that when kids are wearing big, puffy winter coats, the harness on their car seats cannot be properly fitted and adjusted to restrain them against the decelerating force they would experience in the event of a car accident. He said, the measure of when a child is properly and safely secured in a car seat is when it fits tightly to the child’s body and you cannot pinch any webbing of the strap between your thumb and forefinger.
Hewitt said, the car seat’s harness will be too loose to protect a child in the event of a car accident if the harness is attached over the child’s winter coat and, tragically, the child could slip out of the restraint, be ejected from the car seat and possibly the vehicle.
Ways to keep kids warm while you’re keeping them safe
- For babies, use aftermarket car seat covers (which are essentially fitted blankets) that are approved by your car seat’s manufacturer
- Drape their winter coats over them after they are secured in their car seats
- Put a blanket over your child’s chest, torso, legs and feet
- Have your child wear long underwear
- Have your child wear warm socks and boots and gloves and a hat or earmuffs
- Turn up the heat in your car
- Help your child into the vehicle while you are still in the garage or in a covered space
For more information on Michigan Auto Law or to consult with an attorney, visit www.michiganautolaw.com.
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