STUDY: Many parents ignore car seat instructions

(WXYZ) - A new study finds parents are making one key mistake when it comes to installing children's car seats.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) interviewed 4,000 drivers and conducted random inspections at 24 cities nationwide.

They found 20 percent of parents don't read the installation instructions for car seats.

Even though many parents don't read instructions, the NHTSA says 90 percent of parents feel confident or very confident that their child's car seat was installed correctly.

The NHTSA also found five other common mistakes parents make, including:

•     Using the wrong harness slot
•     Improperly positioning the harness retainer or chest clip
•     Failing to tighten the child restraint system
•     Failing to tighten the harness strap
•     Improperly positioning the lap belt

AAA is hosting a free car seat safety event Saturday, September 22nd from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its headquarters, located at One Auto Club Drive in Dearborn.

Registration is not required. Parents should bring the car seat and their child so experts can check that the seat is installed correctly and that the child is properly restrained.