How to Live and Thrive in the United States

By Donna Poisl

To purchase this book online, go to www.howtoliveandthrive.com

Child Car Safety Laws
Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children over the age of one in the United States. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Territories have child passenger safety laws (“car seat laws”). But the laws aren’t the same in every jurisdiction. Check the law in your area. Call the DMV for information or go to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) website and look in the section marked “state info” for the website address of every state. When you go to the state site, you’ll find local information about highway safety and driving laws. GHSA is at: www.statehighwaysafety.org

There are many other websites with information about transporting children safely in vehicles. You can look at these addresses: www.inventiveparent.com/state-laws.htm or www.cartipsandmore.com/child_passenger_safety_laws.html

Moving Kids Safely has a website with many links to guides and information: www.aap.org/family/cps.htm

Child Safety Seats
Most states have child car seat laws that cover babies and children up to four years old or weighing up to 40 pounds. In some states, older children can legally ride in the back seat without being belted in because the seat belt laws in those states apply only to the driver and front seat passengers. Some states require a booster seat for older children, so check the law in your state. There is a large penalty if you are caught without the proper seat belts or seats used for every person in the vehicle.

Any law would be only the minimum requirement so it is always smart to do more than the law tells you to do, especially because it is the life of your child that is being protected. Children through 80 pounds are always safer riding in booster seats than if they use the car’s seats and seat belts that are designed for adults. The rear seat is the safest place for children of all ages. Don’t let any child ride in a vehicle without being buckled in.

Infants from birth to about 22 pounds should be in a rear-facing infant seat that is properly buckled in the back seat and older children should be in seats facing forward, also in the back seat.

Everyone using a child safety seat should carefully read the instructions for the safety seat or booster seat and read the vehicle owner’s manual for instructions about using a child seat. Everyone in the car should be buckled up correctly, with children in seats that are buckled correctly.

A recent government report stated that about 80 percent of all child safety seats are installed incorrectly or the seats are misused, mainly because the instructions are too hard for most people to understand. Go to your local fire department or police department and ask them to check that you have installed your seat correctly. They would rather help you put the child seat in correctly than pick your dead child up from the roadside after an accident.

You can also call 1-866-SEAT-CHECK (1-866-732-8243) to speak with a child passenger safety technician who will give you advice on the seat you are using for your child and tell you if another seat is rated better. This is NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and assistance is available in English and Spanish and possibly other languages.

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