Booster seats and child restraints are great ways to keep kids from getting hurt in a crash. But to keep your child
as safe as possible, you must choose the right child restraint for your child and make sure it fits and is set up
right.
Child restraints also called booster seats, keep kids from being thrown out of the car during a crash. They also
ensure that a child's body is hit by the most force during a crash. This can't be done with an adult seat belt
because the seat is too big, and a child's bones aren't strong enough to keep the seat belt in place during a
crash.
It is the driver's job to ensure that everyone in the car is wearing seat belts or child restraints correctly. Everyone must be buckled in in a car with either a child seat, a booster seat, or an adult seat belt that is properly adjusted and fastened.
By law, all children under 7 years old riding in a car must be buckled into a seat that fits them well and is properly adjusted and fastened. A rideshare vehicle is the same as any other private car, and children under 7 must be buckled in if they are in the car.
Children with special needs, like those with a physical disability or a medical condition, might not have to follow the rules about child safety seats. To be exempt, you must meet certain conditions, like getting a doctor's note. Even if a child doesn't have to wear a seatbelt, they still need to be safe in a car. Parents and caregivers should talk to a health professional, like an occupational therapist, who can help them decide which restraint is best for their child.
Sometimes a child is too big or heavy for the restraint meant for their age. In these situations, the child should use the restraint for the next age group. Choose the right child restraint to keep your child safe in a crash. With the introduction of booster seats with shoulder height markers for kids between the ages of 4 and 8, and more recently for kids between the ages of 8 and 10, kids can now stay in a seat that fits them for longer.
If your car only has one row of seats, like a pickup truck, you can put a child seat or booster seat in the front seat. For the restraint to work, the seat must have a belt and an anchorage point if it has a top tether strap.
The front seat is not as safe as the back seat. If you can use a lap-sash seat belt, the safest place to sit in the back seat is in the middle. If there is a lap-sash seat belt, don't use a lap-only seat belt.
If two children or booster seats are already in the back seat and there isn't room for a third, one child can ride in the front seat. The child must be between 4 and 7 years old and ride in a booster seat. You will have to use a booster seat without a top tether strap because there will be no anchor points for the front seat.
Using a child safety harness is not recommended, sometimes called an "H harness." A child safety harness is an extra gear that can be purchased separately from child restraint. It is not the same as a child seat with a built-in harness.
