Kids car seats are specifically designed for one reason, to keep kids safe in an accident.  They have been proven effective over the years, so it's shocking to find out that most parents aren't using them correctly.

Researchers looked at about 22,000 children and found that just 3% of children between ages  1 and 3 who were restrained at all were sitting in a proper, rear-facing car seat.

Only 10 percent of 8- to 10-year-old children were properly restrained in a booster seat.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children over age 3. More than 140,000 children go to emergency rooms each year from accidents.

Common mistakes included that children over age 7 were hardly ever seated in a booster seat. Only 2 percent of kids used a booster seat.

Another issue: By ages 8 to 10, a quarter of kids were already sitting in the front seat.

If you're not sure if your child is safe check out Michigan's child safety seat regulations.

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