• Children are our most valuable resource, and it is our responsibility to keep them safe – especially when traveling in a vehicle.  Children riding in an inadequate child safety seat or one that is poorly installed are in very real danger of injury or death if involved in a crash.  It is the driver’s responsibility for making sure all children are correctly buckled up.
   
• A person may not transport a child under the age of 16 years unless the child is secured in: a child safety seat* or a seat belt in all seating positions in all vehicles.
  
  
• Maryland State law requires that a person transporting a child under the age of 8 years in a motor vehicle secure the child in a federally-approved child safety seat* in accordance with the child safety seat and vehicle manufacturers’ instructions unless the child: is 4 feet, 9 inches tall or taller; or weighs more than 65 pounds.
  
  
• Never put a child in the rear-facing position in the front seat where there is an air bag; children younger than age 13 should always ride in the back seat.

Stages of Car Seat Use

Stage 1: Rear-facing Car Seat 

Infants and toddlers are the safest passengers in a vehicle because they face backward. Use a rear-facing car seat as long as possible, past one year of age and until approximately 30 pounds (always check the car seat instructions). 

Stage 2: Forward-facing Car Seat with Harness 

Children who have outgrown their rear facing car seat who are approximately 30 pounds and over one year old use a forward-facing car seat with harness straps until they outgrow the seat by weight or height, at approximately 40 pounds. Use a car seat with straps which has a weight limit of 50 – 80 pounds if your child is above average in height or weight.

Stage 3: Booster Seat with Lap-Shoulder Belt

When a child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with harness at 40 pounds or heavier and around four years of age, a child can use a booster seat. A booster seat helps a child fit the vehicle lap-shoulder belt by raising the child and guiding the seat belt onto the strongest parts of a child’s body. Keep using a booster seat until your child can “pass” the “5-Step Test” for correct seat belt fit:

• Sit all the way back against the vehicle seat.
• Bend the knees comfortably over the edge of the vehicle seat.
• The shoulder belt crosses the chest between the child’s neck and shoulder.
• The lap belt stays low on the hips and touches the thighs.
• The child sits like this the whole trip.

Stage 4: Lap-Shoulder Belt

The lap-shoulder belt should fit well. Make sure a child passes the “5-Step Test” in every seating position in every car, or continue to use a booster seat. Most children fit seat belts correctly between the ages of 8 – 10, and approximately 4’9” tall. Remember, seat belts are made for adults and young children can be injured because the belt does not fit properly.

Tips

Always follow the child safety seat and vehicle instructions for correct installation and use the car’s seat belt or LATCH system to tightly buckle the child safety seat to the car.

The back seat is 40% safer than the front seat. All children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat.

Research studies show that when children are correctly buckled up, they are better behaved, feel more secure, fall asleep sooner and are less likely to be injured.

Resources

• Maryland Kids in Safety Seats, 1-800-370-SEAT
• Maryland State Highway Administration, 1-800-787-4077
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1-888-DASH-2-DOT