You may have heard that 80 percent of child car seats are installed incorrectly. This sounds alarming, but in fact, the most common errors are simple ones that can be easily corrected:

Problem: The harness straps are too loose.
Solution: Tighten harness straps so they are snug against the child.

Problem: The retainer clip on the chest harness is too low.
Solution: Slide the clip to the baby's or child's armpit level.

Problem: The child car seat is too loose.
Solution: The seat should not move more than an inch from side-to-side or front-to-back.
If it does, have another person push down firmly on the child car seat while you tighten the vehicle belt, or kneel on the seat yourself while you tighten the belt. If the seat is in a forward-facing position, adding the top tether strap will help secure it.

Problem: The carrying handle on an infant seat is in the wrong position.
Solution: For most infant seats, the carrying handle must be in the "down" position while traveling in a vehicle. However, for some seats the handle can be in different positions. Check your car seat instruction manual to find out the right position for your seat.

Other frequent errors include the child being in the wrong seat for their size, or babies facing forward too soon (babies should ride in rear-facing infant seats until they are at least one year old and 20 pounds).