One thing every parent must understand is how to transport their children in a car safely. Cars are designed with the safety of full-sized adults in mind. As such, you must make special accommodations to assure your children will be safe.
It’s never fun to contemplate what might happen during a car crash! But as a parent, it is crucial that you responsibly consider how you’ll plan to get your child around safely.
Beyond this great responsibility, you should also know that in most states, there are specific laws surrounding the use of car seats. If law enforcement officers see you improperly using booster seats, or worse, failing to use them, you can be subject to fines and other stiff penalties.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the critical concepts you’ll need to know to keep yourself in compliance with the law and your child safe.
Know Your Local Laws
Before we go any further, I want to make it crystal clear that you must do appropriate research and find out exactly what the relevant laws are for your state and/or municipality to make sure you are in compliance. It’s best to do so before you make any car seat purchase, to make sure you don’t buy a product that you then can’t use.
You can always use the internet to search for information about state and local laws concerning car seats. When you do, make sure to stick to trusted sources, ideally getting your information directly from government organizations.
Always check the publish date on anything you read to make sure it’s up to date. If you’re having trouble finding information, you can always visit your local highway patrol’s website for more up-to-date information.
Car Seat Terminology
When we look at car seat laws, you’ll see three categories of seats mentioned.
Rear-Facing Car Seat
The first one mandated for younger riders is a rear-facing car seat. As the name suggests, this kind of seat is placed in the back seat with the child facing towards the back of the car. The seat is secured in a five-point harness.
These seats are essential because they protect your child from the force of an air-bag. Air bags can do much more harm than help when they deploy in a seat with a baby.
Forward-Facing Car Seats
These are similar to their rear-facing counterparts, however the direction is is now facing the front of the car and typically has a greater weight and height limit.
These seats are typically for children over the age of 2 years or greater than 40 pounds.
Booster Seats
Booster seats are held in place by a standard three-point seatbelt. They are designed to make your child much taller. This allows the seat belt to rest on the lap and not across the belly to make it work appropriately.
This helps to minimize and prevent any internal injuries from happening during a car accident.
Car Seat Laws
Let’s explore the car seat laws in my home state, California. Again, every state is different so you must do your own research. I suggest going to your states highway patrol website and review their child safety seat laws.
In California, any child under two years of age must be placed in a rear-facing car seat and secured according to the seat manufacturers specifications.
Once a child reaches 1) two years of age, 2) 40 pounds, or 3) 40 inches in height, the law changes. Your child may then transition to a forward-facing car seat in a back row of the car. The child stays in this seat until they meet the specifications for a booster.
California law does not specify when a child should graduate to a booster seat; however, the California Highway Patrol encourages parent’s to not move on too quickly to booster seats. Many booster seats can accommodate children between the weights of 30 to 100 pounds.
Children must remain in a booster seat until they reach the age of 8 or are 4″ 9′ tall. At this point in time, you may secure your child by the vehicle’s three-point seatbelt.
Manufacturer’s Recommendations
You’ll note that some of the stipulations in the California law point to the manufacturer’s recommendations when it comes to securing the child. That’s important because it means that you must carefully read any instructional document for the specific seat you buy.
These laws are intended to work in tandem with the chairs themselves, not to override any specifics of the car seat.
This is very important because the seat you buy might specify different limits on the weight or size of the occupants. Again, this reasoning is why it is important to find car seats that match up nicely with the laws in your area.
Federal Car Seat Laws
There are currently no federal laws that mandate a specific car seat procedure for young riders. This is important to know if you intend on traveling across state lines. Technically, you will need to comply with the laws of each state as you drive through it.
However, keeping your little one rear-facing until two years of age should be compatible across most states.
Always Refer to Your State’s Laws and Relax Knowing Your Child is Safe
If a car seat is used according to manufacturer directions, your child will be as safe as possible in the event of a crash. Good car seats help make sure your child’s body is in the best possible position to avoid serious injury.
Nothing is going to make driving in your car completely safe. But, if you take the time to know what’s expected, you can rest a whole lot easier. Take a look at your state’s laws to make sure your baby is secure before starting the car!
