Keep kids safe and secure
MOST people are not aware of the importance of a correctly installed child seat or how to correctly use a child seat.Statistics show that children are 10 times more likely to be injured or killed in a car accident when the child seat has not been properly fitted or is incorrectly used.
Many people are aware that there have been changes to the law regarding child restraints, but do you understand what these changes mean?
- Six months and under: a child must remain in a rear-facing child restraint.
- Six months to four years: a child must remain in a child restraint with built-in harness.
- Four years to seven years: a child must be in a booster seat.
It is important to know there are exceptions to these rules, and here is where the confusion of understanding the new laws comes into play.
No child is to sit in any booster seat until they weigh 18 kilograms. That would be approximately four years old.
The best way to understand these new laws and when you need to move your child into the appropriate seat is to follow the child seat manufacturer's specifications — all child restraints will state the seat's weight limits.
New standards have recently been introduced for child seats that also take into consideration the height of your child. Always check your seat's specifications.
For example, if your child is three years old and weighs more than 18 kilograms they have outgrown the child seat by weight and they then must move into a booster seat.
It is recommended that you keep children in the rear-facing position as long as possible.
This is because in the first year of a child's life they are still developing muscle tissues around their neck.
If you turn your child to face forward earlier than the manufacturer's specifications, you risk the possibility of a neck injury in the event of a crash or even in a hard-braking situation.
If you have one child and it is best to place them in a rear-facing position we recommend the centre of the back seat.
The next best position is the passenger side as it is on the kerb side of the vehicle.
If you have two children, the older child will sit on the passenger side and the second restraint should be fitted in the centre of the back seat.
Ensure that your child restraints are fitted by an RTA-authorised restraint fitter.
This information was brought to you by Sam Mannah, head technician, director and owner of Littles Child Restraints.
Child Restraint Laws - News
Many people are aware that there have been changes to the law regarding child restraints, but do you understand what these changes mean? - Six months and under: a child must remain in a rear-facing child restraint. - Six months to four years: a child
A new law designed to do that took effect in Georgia this past Friday. Kim Koch Amid all the clamor over Georgia's new immigration law, a number of other measures signed by Gov. Nathan Deal went into effect in Georgia this past Friday that may have a
"It has been a horrific experience for the Gomez family and my family," Williams, a staunch advocate of child-restraint laws, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I continue to keep the Gomez family in my prayers." In the car wreck,
As one of the inspectors measured her child's height in the Liberty parking lot, Lawrenceville resident Kristin Adams said she knew about the changes in the child restraint law but still wanted to take advantage of the free check.
Although the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the strength of Indiana's child restraint laws as "good," local child passenger safety technicians report that 90 percent of car seats they inspect are improperly installed.
Are new child restraint laws in Colorado's future? | Denver ...
The Durango Herald recently published a piece that reveals new safety recommendations when it comes to securing child passengers into vehicles. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have come together and agreed upon two new safety suggestions.
For now, the safety measures are just suggestions. Colorado already has its own child restraint laws in effect. But this story gives us a chance to review what the current restraint laws are, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
Children who are at least 1 and who weigh 20 pounds or more can sit in front-facing child restraint seats. Children between ages 1 and 3 and who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds must be in a child safety seat. Children between ages 4 and 7 must sit in a booster seat. Children between ages 8 and 15 must wear a seat belt.The new recommendations differ from Colorado's current laws. Safety advocates suggest that kids stay in rear-facing seats until they turn two or become too big for their seats' size limits. The other recommended change is that kids be required to sit in booster seats until they are a certain height, four feet nine inches tall.
As mentioned earlier, the new safety recommendations are not law, but it wouldn't be surprising for lawmakers to consider making a change to child restraint laws. If you have children it is wise to stay up-to-date on such traffic safety laws.
Sure, you can drive without a seat belt and not get pulled over for that offense alone. If law enforcement notices that your kids are insufficiently restrained, however, that is a primary offense. You can be pulled over and cited for the traffic violation. Saying that you didn't know about the current child restraint laws likely won't be enough to save you from a ticket.
Source
The Durango Herald: " New guidelines, extra enforcement target safety seats and seat belts ," Steve Lewis, 1 Apr.
Child Restraint Laws - Bookshelf
Keeping children safe in traffic
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Child Restraint Law
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