Bel Air Honda

Getting a jump on jazzing up interest in the redesigned fourth-generation 2012 Honda CR-V compact crossover SUV, Honda used the Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, California as a venue for the world debut of the 2012 Honda CR-V concept.

The Japanese automaker says the 2012 CR-V Concept has styling cues and features that point strongly to the production model which makes its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in November and will be on sale by the end of this year.

What???s new about the all-new CR-V? We can only guess, based on the 2012 CR-V Concept, since Honda is being mum about any more specifics.

2012 Honda CR-V Concept

Exterior styling

n a calendar year basis).

The biggest change that we can see now is that the CR-V Concept appears a bit more aggressive, while still maintaining the attractive good looks that have made the CR-V the best-selling SUV in America since 2007 (on a calendar year basis)

Yes, the CR-V Concept does have dramatic styling cues and we can only hope that some of that flair makes it into the final production model. Honda says the goal for the new 2012 CR-V was to maintain the exterior size while giving it a sleeker appearance.

2012 Honda CR-V Concept

tail lights will remain for 2012, although the rearlights will be more three-dimensional and extend further into the vehicle???s design.

Just looking at the CR-V Concept, with its deeply sculpted character lines, beefy rocker panels, distinctively bold front end with horizontal three-bar grille and large five-spoke alloy wheels, Honda has achieved that goal. Honda says the faux front skid plate and vertical design.

Other goodies to come

Honda says the production 2012 CR-V will feature an all-new interior, a more fuel-efficient engine, and a trimmed-down body weight.

We???ll just have to wait for the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show to find out more details, and we???ll be all over that story. In the meantime, if you???re in the area, check out the 2012 CR-V Concept at the Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, September 22-25.

During National Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 18-24), it??????s an appropriate time for parents to brush up on guidelines for rear-facing car seats. With car crashes the leading cause of death for children ages three to fourteen, the importance of using rear-facing child seats cannot be overstated.

The objective is to keep children safe in the car and research shows that rear-facing child seats are five times safer for toddlers than riding in a forward-facing car seat. But many parents still aren??????t getting the message.

In the C.S. Mott Children??????s Hospital National Poll on Children??????s Health released in May 2011, the results were quite revealing. Seventy-three percent of parents responding to the survey said they had switched their child from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing car seat before the age of two.  And one in three, 30 percent, turned their child??????s seat to face forward before the child reached one year of age.

The report also found that parents use a variety of sources for information about when to use forward-facing car seats. Most (72 percent) refer to the car seat packaging for advice on when to turn their child??????s car seat to face forward. Two-thirds (68 percent) get information from a doctor or a nurse. About half of parents receive information from national sources such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the American Academy of Pediatrics, or family or friends (52 percent) on when is the right time to turn their child??????s car seat to a forward-facing position.

Read the full C.S. Mott report here.

Tips about rear-facing car seats

Child passenger safety experts now recommend that parents keep their infants and toddlers in rear-facing car seats as long as possible. They caution that it is easy to get confused, since car seat instructions often say that the car seat can be used forward-facing when the child reaches 20 pounds. That doesn??????t mean, however, that the car seat should be used this way, if the child is still under the height and weight limits to remain riding in the rear-facing position.

Most children will outgrow their rear-facing infant carrier type of car seat before their first birthday. Again, the experts advise caution. Just because the child outgrows a rear-facing seat doesn??????t mean that it is okay to turn the infant to face forward. The best next step is to get a convertible car seat that is larger and can be used both rear-facing and forward-facing.

Newborns weighing at least five pounds can start off in a convertible car seat in the rear-facing position. If household finances are tight, parents can skip the infant carrier and opt for a convertible car seat that can be used from birth into pre-school years. Many newer model convertible car seats can hold larger infants and toddlers rear-facing beyond their second birthday, until they reach a weight of 35 or 40 pounds.

Take advantage of the free car seat check during National Child Passenger Safety Week. Find a local inspection station by going to seatcheck.org or by clicking on this link. Parents can also get information from local inspection stations on community resources offering assistance in obtaining the proper car seats for their children.

Resources for parents

Still confused about which car seat to use or how to install it? Take advantage of helpful tips and resources available in a number of websites.

Seatcheck.org provides tips and tools, links to learn about state child passenger safety laws, and a convenient car seat inspection locator available by zip code. Parents can also call 1-866-SEAT-CHECK to find a local inspection station.