The National Highway Traffic Highway Safety Administration and the American Academy of Pediatrics has announced new guidelines for proper child safety seat use in the car.

The AAP’s guidelines have changed and children should now remain rear-faced in their safety seats until the age of about two instead of the old recommendation of the age of one. Two years old refers to about forty pounds, your young child may be well over two by the time they reach forty pounds, if so keep them properly restrained in a rear facing baby seat until they reach the proper weight.  Booster seat guidelines have also changed now the recommended age at the youngest, is 8 all the way up to 12 years of age, depending on the child’s height and weight. Children should remain in high back booster seat with proper head control until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches. It is also important to keep your child out of the front seat until they are ready which is usually around the age of 13 or older. Children are always safer in the back seat away from the airbag, which can be extremely dangerous to small children and infants. Airbags are made to help save adults but their strength can ultimately kill children. A seatbelt in a vehicle is made for an average adult, not a child. If he or she is not over eighty pounds they should not be a passenger in a car that does not have a quality booster seat.

All auto insurance agencies fully support child safety restraint guidelines. Safety is always the number one concern especially the safety of our children and younger passengers.

Here at Cavallo and Signoriello Insurance Agency we are more than happy to help create safer roads in any way we can.

When Arbella Insurance asked us to participate in the Distractology simulation at Mansfield High School we immediately agreed. Dr. Donald Fisher from the University of Massachusetts Amherst founded Distractology 101, “A crash course on distracted driving.” The issue of distracted driving has become such an enormous problem that Fisher took it upon himself to find a way to help physically and mentally show young drivers the effects of their own distracted driving, without the real physical injuries of course.

There were 80 participants from the high school that got to experience the 45 minute venture behind the wheel. One of the biggest problems is what they call a “texident”, this is an accident caused by a driver who is on their phone texting. One of the many simulations that the teenagers at Mansfield High School experienced was the cell phone distraction, and not surprisingly it created many accidents. The purpose is to show students and young inexperienced drivers the consequences that they many face if they get distracted while driving their vehicle.

After taking the Distractology course a male student said,

“I feel I can take a lot out of it; Not being distracted could save somebody’s life by not texting and driving, It’s a lot more challenging when driving, you don’t realize how distracted you are.”

Overall we felt it was a great experience and a success!