Buying the correct child safety seat won't protect your child if you don't install it properly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately eight out of every ten child safety seats are not used correctly. Read the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions and the vehicle owner's manual before you install the seat in your vehicle.

The child safety seat must be secured as tightly as possible with the vehicle's safety belt to ensure safe performance in a crash or sudden stop. The vehicle seat belt must be threaded properly through the frame of the child safety seat as the manufacturer specifies.

Many vehicle manufacturers have specific instructions or require special equipment for installing child safety seats. The vehicle owner's manual will indicate if you will need "extras" such as a locking clip that secures the vehicle safety belt around the child safety seat or an accessory belt for fitting child seats in particular seating positions. A locking clip is a smooth metal device that easily slides onto the belt system and holds the overlapping belts together, thus locking or preventing movement. Instructions for using the locking clip can be found in the child safety seat instructions or in the vehicle owner's manual.

Modern continuous-loop shoulder/lap belts allow you to move back and forth to reach or adjust the vehicle controls. This safety belt system is called an "emergency locking retractor" (ELR). A child safety seat that is held only with this type of belt system will slip and move in the vehicle, defeating its protective features. A locking clip must be used to lock the belt and tightly secure the child safety seat. Newer model motor vehicles have "switchable retractor" systems. This system can manually be adjusted from an ELR system to an automatic locking retractor (ALR) system for holding a child safety seat. Refer to the "safety restraint" section of your vehicle owner's manual for details.

There are other types of safety belt systems that require special installation procedures to hold safety seats. Always refer to the vehicle owner's manual when you install a child safety seat.

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