JPS

Doesn't bode well for us 993 guys.

AAP Updates Recommendations on Car Seats Children should ride rear-facing to age 2, use a booster until at least age 8

New advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will change the way many parents buckle up their children for a drive.

In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

The previous policy, from 2002, advised that it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing up to the limits of the car seat, but it also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or her first birthday.

“Parents often look forward to transitioning from one stage to the next, but these transitions should generally be delayed until they’re necessary, when the child fully outgrows the limits for his or her current stage,” said Dennis Durbin, MD, FAAP, lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report.

“A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body,” Dr. Durbin said. “For larger children, a forward-facing seat with a harness is safer than a booster, and a belt-positioning booster seat provides better protection than a seat belt alone until the seat belt fits correctly.”

While the rate of deaths in motor vehicle crashes in children under age 16 has decreased substantially – dropping 45 percent between 1997 and 2009 – it is still the leading cause of death for children ages 4 and older. Counting children and teens up to age 21, there are more than 5,000 deaths each year. Fatalities are just the tip of the iceberg; for every fatality, roughly 18 children are hospitalized and more than 400 are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment.

New research has found children are safer in rear-facing car seats. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing.

“The ‘age 2’ recommendation is not a deadline, but rather a guideline to help parents decide when to make the transition,” Dr. Durbin said. “Smaller children will benefit from remaining rear-facing longer, while other children may reach the maximum height or weight before 2 years of age.”

Children should transition from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness, until they reach the maximum weight or height for that seat. Then a booster will make sure the vehicle’s lap-and-shoulder belt fit properly. The shoulder belt should lie across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not near the neck or face. The lap belt should fit low and snug on the hips and upper thighs, not across the belly. Most children will need a booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years old.

Children should ride in the rear of a vehicle until they are 13 years old.

Although the Federal Aviation Administration permits children under age 2 to ride on an adult’s lap on an airplane, they are best protected by riding in an age- and size-appropriate restraint.

“Children should ride properly restrained on every trip in every type of transportation, on the road or in the air,” Dr. Durbin said.

Click here for a list of approved car safety seats.

D1A3

It took me a while, searching the forums and internet, but did find the following solution for a car seat/booster solution that does fit securely in the rear of a 993 cabriolet.

The Car seat is the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 which I purchased new at Babies-R-Us within the past year as a backup for carpool. I have it secured using the seat belt and also the tether strap which is clipped behind the rear seat.

The Booster Seat is the Harmony that others have talked about which I purchased at Wal-Mart earlier this year.

Since there are always folks looking for a solution, I thought I would post these and pics so you can see how they fit. My seven year old actually fits better (in my opinion safer) without the booster behind the driver seat, but we have to follow the law. My 4 year old sits in the car seat and there is still enough room with the passenger seat moved forward a few inches for my wife to ride.

Good Luck!

dcdude

This doesn't seem like earth-shattering news to me.

I expect that very few people would argue that rear-facing seats should offer better protection compared to front-facing. By all means, keep your kids in the rear-facing seat as long as possible--2, even 3 years of age...if they fit. Problem for me was that right around age 1, both of my kids were able to walk their feet up the rear seatback, with no place to put their feet. This was of course in our DDs. Rear facing in the 993 is almost impossible, unless you want to render the front passenger seat useless (i.e. mommy stays home)

It will be interesting to see if manufacturers respond with rear-facing seats that better fit 2 year-olds.

M Fig

"I have it secured using the seat belt and also the tether strap which is clipped behind the rear seat."

Alright, I know how the seat belt works, but how does the tether strap attach?

thanks,

Speedyellow993

Teather point is hidden under the speaker panel. You'll need to buy the hardware to clip the Teather into.

NY Wolve

DIA3:

"The Car seat is the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 which I purchased new at Babies-R-Us within the past year as a backup for carpool. I have it secured using the seat belt and also the tether strap which is clipped behind the rear seat.

The Booster Seat is the Harmony that others have talked about which I purchased at Wal-Mart earlier this year."

Did you take the seat bottoms out? I bought a booster, but the back edge was too rigid and wide for my 993 Targa. The car seat actually had a different back edge so that one fit, but I'd like to use a booster. Is the harmony flexible back there? I looked at the pictures and the dimensions on Walmart website and said it was 16 inches wide, which I am sure is too wide for my backseat.

brucec59

My son's head just about hit the rear glass with the booster seat. As soon as he turned 6, out the booster came! (A booster is req'd by law in CA until age 6.)

"A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash." Seems to me this assumes a frontal collision. If you're rear ended, a forward facing seat would be better. I suppose the majority of crashes are frontal (but not in my experience!).

JPS

Curious where you found to mount the tether?

Speedyellow993

On the coupe it's just in front of the rear speakers. It looks like a bolt that's welded to the speaker/rear deck.

JPS

Meant for the cab, sorry.

D1A3

No, the rear seat bottoms are still installed.

D1A3

If you look/feel right behind the rear seats, at the base, where they meet the floor of the rear shelf, you will notice the clip. I have found it is easiest to attach to this when the top is 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down since you cannot really get into the backseat with the car seat in there. With the top fully down, I have been able to wedge my hand down between the top and install/remove the tether strap by feel, but it can be tough with the limited space

I was actually pretty surprised to find the clips on a 1996 car. Lexus was not putting them in their cars until 2000 and beyond from what I remember. My car has no history with children, so they are definitely there from the factory. I imagine with the top up you would be able to see them pretty easily through the rear window.

dcdude

Not completely true. They can instead weigh 60 lbs. and lose the booster even if they're not yet 6. They also need to be in the back seat: http://www.chp.ca.gov/community/pdf/ca_vr_laws.pdf

This will probably be the case the case with my kids!

brucec59

Right. It's 6 y.o. or 60 lb. I forgot about that because he turned 6 before he reached 60 lbs.

DJF1

These were my thoughts as well reading this. I would think that there is actually more risk rear facing and on the back seat in the usual back end collission, especially in our cars in a collision with an SUV and such. My completely unscientific view is that more than often we witness rear end and side collissions than frontal impacts. All the "new studies" they change things daily and I'm not sure how to trust them.