Child car seat and winter coat safety guidelines

Published on February 10, 2025

It is cold out there, but do not let that winter coat get in the way of car safety! A 2019 study by Volvo showed that 65% of parents do not remove a child’s coat before strapping them into their car seat. This is dangerous because the straps will be too loose to correctly restrain the child in a collision. When the straps are not snug enough, they are not doing their job to prevent injuries should there be a mishap.

Here is what you can do to ensure your child is safe and warm inside your car:

• Take off their coat and buckle them into the car seat.
• For an infant: put blankets on top of the harness to keep them warm during the ride.
• For a toddler or child: Put the coat on over the child. They can wear the coat backwards, on top of the buckle.

As a reminder –– if you can pinch the strap, it is too loose and needs to be tightened.

The Menlo Park Police Department offers car seat inspections. If you are in doubt about your safety seat installation, make an appointment for an inspection with one of our certified technicians who will inspect and install it for you.

Visit our website for more information and to make an appointment.