Parents: Check your child’s car seat and know the law

Here’s some great information about child safety and car seat loss. Specifically this information deals with the state of Oregon but it can be applied to other states so long as you follow the law in that particular state.

What you should take away from this article is the best practices used with small children and car safety seats while in a vehicle. Knowing how to position the car seat which way it should face and how long you should keep your child either facing in the correct direction or in a child safety seat is very important.

Read the rest of the article below to find out more information about how to keep your child safe.

I know I have often found myself questioning my own know-how and skills when it comes to the finer points of car seat and booster seat safety, but with the help of Rosalee at our local ODOT office, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to make the best choices for my family and also the resources to get help if needed.

Let me first say I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by how eager Rosalee was to offer her wisdom and expertise in this particular area. It just re-iterated to me how wildly important and often overlooked this area of child safety is.

So to start, let’s review the basics:

1. According to Oregon law, children under 1 year and 20 pounds must be in an approved rear facing car seat. However, best practice is to encourage parents/caregivers to keep children rear-facing as long as the seat allows it. This is also recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics because of crash dynamics and how rear-facing seats are designed to protect a child’s neck and spine in a crash. While it my not be illegal to turn your baby around as soon as she or he reaches that magical 1 year/20 pound benchmark, it is most definitely not recommended. Children are safest rear-facing.

2. There is no longer a recommended age for moving children to booster seats, (I originally thought the law was 4 years old and 40 pounds). Oregon law says that children must be in a harness system until they are 40 lbs. However, many car seat manufacturers are making harness systems that go to higher weight limits. So, if the harness system will allow a child to continue using it to say 65 lbs., then families are encouraged to continue utilizing the harness system. Just like race car drivers, children are safer in a 5-point harness. But yes, technically children can move to a booster once they are 40 lbs. Also remember that when making the switch to a booster seat, they cannot be used with lap belts only. You must have a lap and shoulder belt available to use a booster seat legally.

3. Children should remain in an appropriately sized booster seat until 8 years old or 4’9″. There is no longer a weight requirement. Plus, Oregon’s seat belt law states that seat belt systems must be used properly and it trumps car seat laws. So, if you have a small 8-year-old and the seat belt does not fit them properly (meaning it rides up on their neck or their waist) then it is not being properly used. So, even though your child is 8, you could still be cited. Kids need to remain in boosters until they are big enough for the adult sized lap/shoulder belt to fit them properly. Parents: Check your child’s car seat and know the law

You can also read Parents: Check your child’s car seat and know the law on Car Interstate Transport.