Child Passenger Safety

Let’s protect every little tush.

Children are our future. We all want the kids in our lives to be safe and happy – especially while traveling on our roads. But car seats and booster seats aren’t always as straightforward as you’d think. Let’s make a push to learn how to protect every little tush. When we do, we ensure passengers are protected — at every age.

Learn about the four types of car seats

Your child under age one should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. Infant-only car seats can be installed rear facing, as can convertible or all-in-one seats. Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible.

Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. Keep your child in a forward facing car seat until they hit the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat manufacturer.

Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face.

Keep your child in a booster until he or she is big enough to fit a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because it’s safer there.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#car-seat-types

Kids, cars and safety

Along with car seats, there are lots of other ways we can help keep kids safe around automobiles. Some dangers in and around cars can happen unexpectedly. Here are just a few:

Being unrestrained in the car
Rollover
Power windows
Heatstroke
Seatbelt entanglement
Trunk entrapment

Kids, Cars — and Car Seats

Is your child in the right seat?

Please keep an eye on children whenever they’re in or around automobiles. They have bright futures ahead of them — let’s do all we can to keep it that way.