Driving around with your child, you want to make sure that your car is as safe as can be. Here's how to choose a car seat or booster seat for your child.

Know the Facts

According to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, in Canada, collisions are the number one cause of death for children. Having a properly installed car seat can minimize fatalities, and decrease the risk by 75%.

Choose the Right Car Seat

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) surveys all car seats for infants and children. They are rated on a number of categories from clear instructions to ease of use. The good news is, car seat manufacturers are listening to the government's suggestions, and are constantly improving designs. For current information, visit the NHTSA website. You can easily find a car seat that has earned all As in every category. If you work with ebay or froogle at the same time, you can also complete some of your comparison shopping online. If you have seen a car seat that you think you like at the store, check out its safety rating.

Know the Age Groups

The following are just guidelines to get you started. You should always read the instructions on every car seat carefully to find out the height and weight restrictions.

Infants need to be in rear facing car seats. This is until they are roughly 1 year old or 20 lbs.

Toddlers need to be put in forward facing seats with tether straps. Tether straps are very important to safety: if your vehicle doesn't have a tether anchor, contact the dealership to have one installed. This is between roughly 20-40 lbs.

Children who are old enough move out of a car seat still need to use a booster seat. This is until the child is 4'9' tall. This will probably be until the child is about eight years old. Boosterseat.gov is a site that information on when your child can stop using a booster seat.

Airbags

Children should always stay in the back seat away from any airbags. This means that children should always ride in the back seat until they are old enough to use a regular seatbelt. Again, this will probably not be until your child is 8 or 9.

If you buy a used carseat

Make sure that it has not been in an accident. Make sure there is no discoloration or strain marks on the car seat. Check that it has been certified for safety. Don't buy a car seat more than ten years old.

NHTSA has a site, the Office of Defects investigation, that lists all car seats that were recalled from the year 1990 to present. You can check this site for your peace of mind.

Install it properly

You can call your local public health branch to stop by and make sure that your car seat is properly installed. Up to 80% of car seats were not installed correctly (and so would not have the same safety effects that they are designed for) at recent government-held car seat workshops. Find out if there are workshops that you can attend to establish quickly if your child will be safe.