Parents, it looks like new car seat laws are coming to Michigan. 

Last week, the Michigan Senate took the first steps towards changing car seat laws in Michigan when they sent an approved Bill (SB  1135) to the House. The bill would bring Michigan's car seat laws in line with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The highlights of the bill are as follows:

• A child who weighs less than 30 pounds or is younger than 2 years old should be in a rear-facing car seat.
• A child between 30 and 50 lbs or aged 2 to 5 years can use a forward-facing car seat.
• A child shorter than 57 inches tall who weighs more than 50 lbs, or who is aged 5 to 10 years, can transition to a booster seat.

Speaking generally, a rear-facing seat is safer than a forward-facing seat; a forward-facing seat is safer than a booster; and a booster is safer than a regular seat with an adult seat belt. So really, the goal is to keep kids in the safest and most appropriate type of seat for their age, weight, and height.

For more information on this bill, visit the Michigan legislature online.

Did you know that car crashes are the leading cause of death for children from 1 to 13?

Did you know that, according to a study by Safe Kids Worldwide, 90% of parents switched their children out of booster seats and into regular seatbelts too soon? Children under 4'9” or who weigh less than 80 to 100 pounds should still use a booster seat.

More Child Passenger Safety statistics:

• Between 2008 and 2012, about 610 children between the ages of 8 to 14 were killed in car crashes while sitting in the front seat of the vehicle.
• One-third of children killed in car crashes in 2011 were completely unrestrained.
• As many as 73% of carseats are not used or installed correctly. Use this checklist or see a certified child passenger safety technician before you hit the road.
• When adults wear seatbelts, so do kids. Set the example by buckling up.

Safe Kids Worldwide is holding carseat check-up events across the country this weekend in honor of National Child Passenger Safety Week. Click here to see a list of these events. They also offer a variety of tips and information about carseats, boosters, and safety restraints on their website. 

Have you ever wanted to build your own car?

Well now you can! The OSVehicle Tabby is an open source, build-it-yourself vehicle that you can buy online and build in less than an hour!

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The pieces are shipped to the customer with instructional videos available online. The kit includes four wheels, two seats and an electric powertrain and battery pack. It can be purchased for $4,200.

However, this model does not include body panels, lights or a windshield, meaning the Tabby is not street legal. You can upgrade to the Urban Tabby model that is street legal, but only in the UK.

You will have the option to purchase an electric motor, gas engine or gasoline-electric hybrid and the Tabby will be able to reach speeds of 50 mph.

An article in the Huffington Post had this to say about the Tabby “Overall, the vehicle appears to be a unique way to bring inexpensive transit to the do-it-yourself crowd. It also looks like the perfect project for those who have yet to master the art of welding, but have graduated past building Legos.”

For more information, click here.

Graco is recalling 3.8 million car safety seats due to a buckle that may not unlatch.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned that the buckle may make it "difficult to remove the child from the restraint, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a vehicle crash, fire or other emergency."

The NHTSA has said that some consumers have had to cut the straps to remove children from the car seat.

The recall includes 11 models made from 2009 to 2013 by Graco Children's Products Inc. of Atlanta. The models are Cozy Cline, Comfort Sport, Classic Ride 50, My Ride 65, My Ride 70, My Ride 65 with Safety Surround, Size4Me 70, My Size 70, Head Wise 70, Smart Seat, Nautilus 3-in-1, Nautilus Elite and Argos.

According to the NHTSA this is the fourth largest recall of child seats in the U.S. and the is recommending that another seven infant car seats models that use the same buckles should also be recalled. They also began an investigation of EvenFlo child safety seats which have a similar design to the recalled buckles and may use buckles by the same manufacturer, AmSafe Commerical Products, Inc.

Graco has reported that food or beverages can make the harness buckle sticky and harder to use over time. They have not recalled the rear facing infant models because infants do not get food or drinks on their seat according to a Graco spokesperson.

Graco has released cleaning tips for the buckles and began sending replacement buckles to owners last year with instruction on how to replace them.  They also have reported that there have no reported injuries from the defective buckle.

Parents should check seat buckles and contact Graco for a replacement if they have not already received one . See photo below for recalled buckles:

For more information visit: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/graco-recalling-nearly-3-8m-190204447.html?vp=1

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^{Photo from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/crash-test-dummy-dogs-seat-231900414.html}

Recently, the nonprofit center for Pet Safety in Reston, Va., joined forces with Subaru to test 11 pet safety belts to find out which restraints work well enough to earn a seal of approval from pet-advocacy groups and to help establish a standard for pet restraints. 

• Refrain from using cell phones while driving.
• Put your cell phone on silent or in the glove box to avoid temptation.
• Safely pull over and put the vehicle in park to take or make a call.
• Always wear a safety belt – every trip, every time.
• Make sure every passenger is wearing his or her safety belt before you begin your drive.
• Have children sit in the back and use the proper child safety seat or booster seat.
• Never leave a child or pet unattended in a vehicle, especially during hot weather.
• If you plan to drink, designate a non-drinking driver.

• Always supervise a barbecue grill when in use.
• Never grill indoors – not in your house, camper, tent, or any enclosed area.
• Make sure everyone, including the pets, stays away from the grill.
• Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, the deck, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire.
• Use the long-handled tools especially made for cooking on the grill to keep the chef safe.
• Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals have already been ignited.
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions when using grills.

• Never allow young children to handle fireworks – older children should use fireworks only under close adult supervision.
• Light fireworks one at a time, in a clear outdoor area away from onlookers, houses and flammable materials.
• Do not aim fireworks at another individual and never place any part of your body over a firework.
• Keep a bucket of water nearby to fully extinguish fireworks that don't go off or in case of fire, and do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks.

• Never give fireworks to small children, and always follow the instructions on the packaging.
• Make sure the person lighting fireworks always wears eye protection.
• Light only one firework at a time and never attempt to relight "a dud."
• Store fireworks in a cool, dry place away from children and pets.
• Never throw or point a firework toward people, animals, vehicles, structures or flammable materials.
• Leave any area immediately where untrained amateurs are using fireworks.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, don't hesitate to contact us for FREE advice.  Call 1-800-708-5433!