NATCHEZ &8212; Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of children, Lori Bezada told a small group at Natchez Regional Medical Center Monday.

As a representative of Safe Kids Mississippi, she should know.

Bezada came to Natchez with tips on keeping children safe in their family vehicles.

&8220;It looks easy, but there&8217;s so much more to it than you think,&8221; she said.

She will return to Natchez Feb. 15, 2 to 5 p.m., at Wal-Mart, where she will check car seats for safety.

&8220;We encourage anyone who has questions to come on by,&8221; she said.

The checkup will ensure that the seat is installed correctly and is age appropriate, and authorities will check to make sure the seat hasn&8217;t been recalled.

Mississippi has a high rate of child safety seat misuse, Bezada said.

&8220;In the nation, there is a 95 percent misuse rate. Our survey shows it&8217;s 96 to 97 percent in Mississippi.&8221;

That means parents and others are not installing car seats according to directions.

&8220;Make sure you read the owner&8217;s manual for you vehicle and also for your car seat,&8221; she said. &8220;All car seats are different and all vehicles are different.&8221;

Safety considerations include knowing the weight limitations of the car seat and knowing how to fit the safety straps to the child.

She recommends children be kept in rear-facing car seats as long as possible.

&8220;And make sure the car seat doesn&8217;t move more than one inch from side to side.&8221;

She showed a car seat that goes to 80 pounds with straps that go only to 40 pounds. Those are the kinds of details to watch, she said.

&8220;When the child reaches 40 pounds, you take those straps off, and the seat becomes a booster seat.&8221;

At that point, the regular car seatbelt is used instead of straps included with the seat.

Until a child can sit in a car like an adult, he or she should sit in a car seat, Bezada said.

&8220;The booster is designed to trick the seat belt into thinking an adult is sitting there.&8221;

When questioned about which car seats are best, she tells parents, choose &8220;the seat that fits your vehicle and fits your child and that you&8217;re going to use safely.&8221;

Bezada discourages buying used car seats, especially one that is more than six years old. &8220;Don&8217;t buy used unless you are very close to the person you get it from. You want to be sure the seat has not been in a crash, that it hasn&8217;t been recalled and that no parts are missing,&8221; she said. &8220;Do not buy car seats at garage sales.&8221;