It's All About the Fit: Protecting Young Passengers Along for the Ride (posted September 24, 2025)

By Adam Behnke, Communications Specialist for Brown County Public Health

National Child Passenger Safety Week, held every year, serves as a reminder about a basic public health message: using child car seats correctly saves lives. During this week, people become more aware of how parents and caregivers can protect children in cars by making sure they are in the right car seat for their age and size, and that the car seat is installed correctly. 
 
The importance of car seat safety is backed by strong evidence. On average, two children under age 14 are killed and 345 more are hurt every day as passengers in car crashes. In 2023, 43% of children killed in car crashes were not buckled up. Furthermore, car crashes are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 19. They are especially at risk in car crashes because their bodies are still growing, their heads are larger in proportion to their bodies, and their neck muscles are weaker. Plus, they depend completely on adults to provide the necessary protection. Car seats and booster seats are specifically designed to offer this protection by absorbing the impact of a crash and spreading the force across the strongest parts of a child's body. As this edition of the Healthy Herald will explore, the purpose Child Passenger Safety Week is not just to encourage the use of car seats, but to make sure they are used correctly, because improper use is unfortunately common. 


The Four Stages of Child Passenger Safety 
Child passenger safety progresses in stages, with each stage designed to keep a child as safe as possible as they grow older and bigger. It's really important to follow these stages based on a child's age, weight, and height. 

Rear-Facing Seats 
This is the safest position for babies and young children and is the crucial first step. Rear-facing seats are specially designed to support a young child's head, neck, and spine if there's a crash. While state law says children must be rear-facing if they're less than one year old or under 20 pounds, groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Safe Kids Wisconsin suggest keeping children rear-facing for as long as possible, ideally until they are at least two years old. Many convertible car seats have higher height and weight limits, often fitting children up to 35 to 40 pounds, which allows them to stay in the safest position for a longer period of their young life. A simple rule is to continue using a rear-facing seat until the child reaches the maximum height or weight limit given by the car seat manufacturer. 

Forward-Facing Seats 
Once a child has outgrown the height or weight limits of their rear-facing seat, they can switch to a forward-facing car seat with a five-point harness. It's important that this change is based on the car seat's limits, not just the child's age, because children should stay in this type of seat as long as they fit. The five-point harness holds the child securely, and for extra safety, the car seat's top tether must be used. The tether is a strap that hooks from the top of the car seat to an anchor point in the vehicle, which makes it more stable and reduces how much the child's head moves forward in a crash. 

Booster Seats 
After a child outgrows the forward-facing car seat's harness system, they are ready for a booster seat. The main reason for a booster seat is to raise the child so that the car's own seat belt fits them correctly. A proper fit is key: The lap belt should go low across both hips and the shoulder belt should rest across the chest and shoulders, all strong parts of the body. A seat belt should never cut across the neck or face, or sit on the belly. Children should stay in a booster seat until they are big enough to pass the seat belt fit test.

Seat Belt Alone 
A child can 'graduate' out of a booster seat and use a vehicle's seat belt alone when they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall or meet ALL of the following requirements: 

• The child must be able to sit all the way back against the vehicle seat.
• The child's knees must be able to bend comfortably at the edge of the vehicle seat.
• The seat belt must cross the shoulder between the neck and arm.
• The lap belt must sit low, across the child's thighs.
• The child must be able to sit like this for the whole trip.

It's also important to remember that it is always safer for children to ride in the back. Kids should not ride in the front seat until they are at least 13 years old.


State Statute vs. What's Safest

Wisconsin Law	Safest Recommendations
Rear-Facing: Children must be in a rear-facing seat if they are less than 1 year old OR less than 20 pounds.	Rear-Facing: Children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible, ideally until at least age two, and until they reach the maximum height or weight limit of their car seat.
Forward-Facing: Children must be in a car seat if they are at least 1 year old and 20 pounds, but less than 4 years old or less than 40 pounds.	Forward-Facing: Children who have outgrown their rear-facing seat should use a forward-facing seat with a five-point harness until they reach the seat’s weight or height limit (often until age 4-7).
Booster: A booster seat is required for children from age 4 to 8, who are between 40-80 pounds, and who are no more than 4 feet 9 inches tall.	Booster: A child should use a booster seat until they are tall enough to fit in a vehicle's seat belt properly (usually 4 feet 9 inches or taller).
Back Seat: Children 3 and younger must be in a rear seat. The law does not require children under 13 to be in the back seat.	Back Seat: All children under 13 years of age are safest riding in the back seat.

The above table highlights the difference between what's legally required in Wisconsin and what's actually the safest choice (according to state and national experts). As we do in many public health areas, Brown County Public Health aligns our recommendations with best practices, even if they are more than what the law requires.  


Common Car Seat Mistakes 
Most parents—even careful ones—make mistakes when using car seats. Studies show that 95% of parents make at least one error, with an average of more than five mistakes per car seat. Also, about 65% of car seats are still installed incorrectly. This high error rate, even for experienced parents, shows that just reading a manual isn't usually enough to install and use a car seat correctly. 

• Loose Installation: This is the most common installation mistake. A car seat shouldn't move more than one inch side-to-side or front-to-back when you check it at the belt path. If it moves more than that, it's not installed securely and won't provide optimal protection for your child in the event of a crash. 
• Harness Mistakes: The harness straps must be tight, and the chest clip must be in the right position. You can do a quick "pinch test" to see if the harness is tight enough; if you can pinch any extra strap material at your child's shoulder, the harness is too loose. The chest clip needs to be at your child's armpit level. This position helps keep the straps in place and your child secure in the seat during a crash. Another common mistake is using thick winter clothing, which can make the harness seem tight but actually leave things dangerously loose. 
• Moving to the Next Stage Too Soon: Parents often rush to move their child to the next type of car seat. Moving a child from a rear-facing to a forward-facing seat too early, or from a five-point harness to a booster seat before they are ready, greatly increases their risk of injury in a crash. 

The high rates of errors show that a complicated device like a car seat, and how it interacts with the car and the child, requires expert help. This means that a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) is a crucial public health resource. Because of this, the most powerful and effective advice is to encourage parents to have their car seats checked by a professional. 

Brown County Public Health partners with the Center for Childhood Safety (CCS) to ensure all people in Brown County have access to expert guidance. This includes free car seat checks by trained technicians who can check if a car seat has been recalled, if it fits the child correctly, and if it's installed safely in the car.

Center for Childhood Safety
ADDRESS: 2827 Ramada Way, Green Bay WI 54304 
PHONE: (920) 272-0110 
Email / Website 

The main takeaway from the article should be that car seat safety is a significant issue that should not be ignored. There are resources in Brown County that you can utlilize to ensure your child’s ride is as safe as possible. Brown County Public Health will continue to partner with CCS to improve outcomes for all local young passengers and raise awareness that car seat injuries are preventable! 

Stay Healthy, Brown County! 

Resources
https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/safety-topics/child-safety
https://www.nhtsa.gov/car-seats-and-booster-seats/child-passenger-safety-week
https://www.stayhealthybc.com/residents/community-health/car-seat-program/
https://www.safekids.org/state-law-tracker/child-passenger-safety-and-seat-belt-laws/wi
https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/safety/education/child-safety/laws.aspx
https://saferide4kids.com/blog/5-of-the-most-common-car-seat-mistakes-parents-still-make/
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/811234.pdf
https://www.centerforchildhoodsafety.org/car-seat-safety