Resources

The Division of Injury Prevention developed social media graphics and messaging products for key audiences, including parents and caregivers and partner organizations who communicate to parents and caregivers about child passenger safety.

New in 2023

Social Media Graphics, Messaging, and Handouts

Social Media Graphics
A young boy properly strapped into a rear-facing car seat
A young boy properly strapped into a forward-facing car seat
A young girl in a booster seat wearing a seat belt
An older boy wearing a seat belt without a booster seat
Booster seat handout showing a good seat belt fit and a bad seat belt fit

 

Handouts
Handout describing the 4-stages of car seats, which include rear-facing, forward-facing, booster, and seat belt
Booster seat handout showing a good seat belt fit and a bad seat belt fit

How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes

Rear and Forward-Facing Car Seats
Car seats: where does the chest clip go? Correct: chest clip is buckled and at armpit level. Incorrect: chest clip is unbuckled or positioned too low or too high. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. HHS CDC
Car seats: how tight should the straps be? Correct: harness straps are snug with no slack in the straps. You can't pinch the straps between your fingers. Incorrect: Harness straps are too loose. You can pinch the straps between your fingers. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC
How do I keep my child warm and safe in a car seat? Correct: child is wearing thin layers. Harness straps are buckled and tight. Put coats or blankets over the buckled and tight harness. Incorrect: child is wearing a bulky jacket. Bulky jackets make you think the harness straps are tight, but the straps are really too loose. Jackets or blankets are between the harness straps and the child. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC

 

Rear-Facing Car Seats
Rear-facing car seat. Birth up to age 2. Child's head at least 1" below top of car seat. Harness straps are at or below child's shoulders. Chest clip is buckled and at armpit level. Harness straps are snug; you can't pinch them. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. HHS CDC
Rear-facing car seats: where do the straps go? If car seat is rear-facing: Correct: harness straps are at or below child's shoulders. Incorrect: Harness straps are above child's shoulders. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. HHS CDC
Rear-facing car seat: Is your child's head below to the top of the seat? Correct: child's head is at least 1" below the top of the car seat. Incorrect: child's head is at or above the top of the seat. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. HHS CDC

 

Forward-Facing Car Seats
Forward-facing car seat. Age 2 up to at least age 5. Harness straps are at or above child's shoulders. Chest clip buckled at armpit level. Harness straps are snug, you can't pinch them. Hook and tighten the car seat's tether. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC
Forward-facing car seat: where do the straps go? If car seat is forward-facing: Correct: harness straps are above shoulders. Incorrect: harness straps are below shoulders. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC

Booster Seats: How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes

Good seat belt fit with booster seat. Shoulder belt lays on middle of the chest and shoulder. Lap belt lays on upper thighs, not the stomach. Seat belts go under the booster's armrests. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC
Booster seats make seat belts fit better. Bad seat belt fit: the shoulder belt lays too close to or on the neck or face; or too far out on shoulder. The lap belt lays on the stomach. Good seat belt fit with booster seat: the shoulder belt lays across the middle of the chest and shoulder. The lap belt lays across the upper thighs. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC
Good seat belt fit with high-back booster seat. Good fit: The shoulder belt lays across the middle of the chest and shoulder, and the lap belt lays across the upper thighs. Bad fit: The shoulder belt lays too close to or on the neck or face or too far out on shoulder. Or the lap belt lays on the stomach. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC

Seat Belts: How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes

What does good seat belt fit look like? The seat belt fits properly when: shoulder belt lays on the middle of the chest and shoulder, and lap belt lays on upper thighs, not the stomach. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC
What does good seat belt fit look like? Good seat belt fit: the shoulder belt lays across the middle of the chest and shoulder. The lap built lays across the upper thighs. Bad seat belt fit: the shoulder belt lays too close to or on the neck or face; or too far out on shoulder. The lap belt lays on the stomach. Always properly buckle children aged 12 and under in the back seat! HHS CDC
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Is your child’s car seat properly installed?

Use LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) to install the car seat. Check your car seat owner’s manual and vehicle owner’s manual for LATCH weight limits. OR use the vehicle’s seat belt by placing it through back and/or bottom of child safety seat as indicated on the seat/user’s manual. Make sure seat belt is buckled and locked.

Regardless of whether you use LATCH or the vehicle’s seat belt to install, ALWAYS ensure the top tether is tightly secured for forward-facing seats. Many rear-facing car seats should not touch the front seat. Check to see if your car seat has the 1″ rule.

The car seat should not be able to move more than 1 inch from side-to-side or front-to-back. Check the installation guides in the car seat owner’s manual and vehicle owner’s manual.

Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. Keep children properly buckled in the back seat until age 13!

Chart showing the four stages of correct child safety seats and boosters for children of different ages
Using the correct car seat or booster seat can be a lifesaver

Using the correct car seat or booster seat can be a lifesaver: make sure your child is always buckled in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt that is appropriate for their age and size.

  • Rear-facing car seat: Birth until age 2-4. Buckle children in a rear-facing car seat with a harness, in the back seat, until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat. Keep children rear-facing as long as possible. Check the car seat manual and labels on the car seat for weight and height limits. Never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat. Front passenger air bags can injure or kill young children in a crash.
  • Forward-facing car seat: After outgrowing rear-facing car seat and until at least age 5. When children outgrow their rear-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and top tether, in the back seat. They should stay in their forward-facing seat until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their seat. Check the car seat manual and labels on the car seat for weight and height limits.
  • Booster seat: After outgrowing forward-facing seat and until seat belt fits properly. When children outgrow their forward-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a belt-positioning booster seat until the seat belt fits properly without a booster seat. A seat belt fits properly when the lap belt is across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt is across the center of the shoulder and chest (not across the neck or face, and not off the shoulder). This usually occurs when children are between 9 and 12 years old.
  • Seat Belt: When the seat belt fits properly without a booster seat. Children no longer need to use a booster seat when the seat belt fits them properly. A seat belt fits properly when the lap belt is across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt is across the center of the shoulder and chest (not across the neck or face, and not off the shoulder). This usually occurs when children are between 9 and 12 years old.

Keep children properly buckled in the back seat until age 13.

*Recommended age ranges for each seat type vary to account for differences in child growth and weight/height limits of car seats and booster seats. Use the car seat or booster seat manual to check installation and the seat weight and height limits, and proper seat use.

Child safety seat recommendations: American Academy of Pediatrics 2018.

Graphic design: Adapted from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.