Do children need to wear seat belts on school buses?Ĭalifornia, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York require children to wear seat belts on school buses. Does my older child still need to use a booster seat?Įxcept for Florida and South Dakota, all US states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require children who do not properly fit into adult seat belts to ride in booster seats or other appropriate safety seats. Since laws regarding the child's height, weight, and age vary by state, be sure to use the map above to find laws applying to your state. Which states have car seat requirements for children?Īll 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands have laws in place for infants and children requiring proper child safety seats. In fact, a NHTSA review conducted in 2009 found that half of all children age 7 and younger killed in motor vehicle crashes were not in any type of child safety restraint. With so much information out there, deciphering the state laws, car seat manufacturer guidelines, and recommendations from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is no easy task, but it can make all the difference if you are ever involved in a car accident.Īccording to the NHTSA, car accidents are the leading cause of death in children 2 to 14 years old, in large part due to the non-use or improper use of child safety seats and seat belts. child ride in the front seat or the back seat?.Ĭoncerned parents ask these very questions every day, and the answers aren't always straightforward. What do I do if my daughter has outgrown the height restriction for her car seat, but not the weight restriction?. Can my son ride in a forward-facing car seat if he is over 1 year old?.

Common Car Seat Questions Does my 8-year-old still need to ride in a booster seat?.

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