How to keep kids safe in the car
Car crashes are a leading cause of fatal injury for Washington children. Keep your children safe for travel by choosing the right child restraint (car seat, booster seat or seat belt) and by reading all instruction manuals carefully. Explore the information below to learn more about motor vehicle safety.
Child restraint laws
Every state has its own child passenger restraint laws. Here is what Washington law requires, as of 1/1/2020:
- Vehicle occupants of any age must be restrained properly. The driver is held responsible for properly securing all passengers under the age of 16.
- Children under age 13 ride in the back seat.
- Children under 4’9″ tall ride in a car seat or booster seat.
- Children under age 4 ride in a harnessed car seat.
- Children under age 2 ride in a rear-facing car seat. This can be an infant, convertible, or 3-in-1 car seat installed in the rear-facing position.
- Car seats and booster seats must be adjusted and installed following all instructions.
Choosing the right seat
Car seats, vehicles and children come in all shapes and sizes. Choose a car seat that fits your specific child and can be installed properly in your vehicle. Ease of use is important—car seats that are easy to install and adjust are more likely to be used correctly. Be wary of used car seats because they may be damaged, recalled, expired or have missing pieces.
The following reflects current best practice recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on choosing a car seat.
Car seat best practice recommendations
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Infant/Toddler
The safest way to travel is in a rear-facing car seat. Keep children rear-facing as long as possible, at least to age 2. Rear-facing seats are typically outgrown when the child’s head is within 1 inch of the top of the car seat’s shell or when they hit the weight limit, whichever comes first. The next step after an infant car seat is a convertible car seat, still installed in the rear-facing position. Most convertible seats allow rear-facing up to 40 lbs or more.
Shopping tips
Choose infant car seats with low shoulder harness slots—they fit newborns best. Buy a convertible seat with high rear-facing weight and height limits for added safety.
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Preschooler
Keep children in a 5-point harness as long as possible, at least to age 4. When your child reaches the rear-facing limits of their convertible car seat, transition to forward-facing. Forward-facing seats are often rated up to 65 pounds or more.
Shopping tips
Choose a seat with high weight limits and high harness slots to keep kids snug in a harness for longer.
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School-age
Older children who have reached the weight or height limit of their harnessed car seat can move to a booster seat. Keep using it until they are at least 4’9” tall AND the adult seat belt can fit properly. Always use booster seats with a seat belt that has both lap and shoulder portions (never with a lap-only belt).
If your child isn’t mature enough to leave the seat belt in place while in a booster, a five-point harness is a safer choice. Look for a harnessed car seat with high weight and height limits that fit big kids longer.
Remember that per Washington Law, your child must use a properly fitted car seat or booster seat until at least age 4’9” tall, and ride in the back seat until age 13.
Seat belt readiness test
There is no single age, weight or height that can ensure the proper fit of a seat belt in every vehicle. Once they reach 4’9″ tall, try the “Seat Belt Readiness Test” in every vehicle they ride in. If they are able to pass all of the following requirements, they can safely use the seat belt without a booster seat:
- Scoot all the way back, against the vehicle’s seat back.
- Bend knees naturally at the edge of the seat.
- Keep feet flat on the floor.
- The shoulder part of the seat belt crosses between the neck and shoulder.
- The lap part of the seat belt fits low across the upper thighs (not up on the belly).
Shopping tips
- When your child rides in a car without head rests, be sure to use a high-back booster seat for whiplash protection.
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Teenage
At age 13, your child can legally ride in the front seat of a motor vehicle, wearing their lap and shoulder seat belt correctly. Always check for airbag warnings.
Before long, it’ll be time to teach them to drive! Take the time to learn – and enforce – intermediate driver rules, like adequate supervised driving experience, not driving with their friends in the car, and not driving late at night.
Tips for adjusting the harness
- For rear-facing car seats – position the shoulder harness so it comes out of the seat at or just below the child’s shoulder.
- For forward-facing car seats – position the shoulder harness so it comes out of the seat at or just above the child’s shoulder.
- Pull the harness snug. You should be able to slide your finger under the harness, at the collarbone – this tells you the harness isn’t too tight. Next – pull up gently, to find any slack down at the hips, and try to pinch the harness between your fingers, at the collarbone. If you can pinch the webbing together, it is too loose, so tighten a little more.
- Position the chest clip at armpit level.
- Don’t add any aftermarket car seat accessories (additional padding, harness covers, hanging toys or blankets, for example) that were not made specifically for your car seat. They have not been crash-tested with your seat and can be dangerous.
Tips for installing in the car
Location
- Consult your vehicle owner’s manual for any restrictions on where you can install a car seat. Washington law requires that children ride in the back seat.
- Never install a rear-facing car seat by an active front passenger airbag.
Angle
- Consult your car seat instruction manual for guidance on how to achieve the proper recline angle.
- Install rear-facing car seats so they are in a semi-reclined position. The level indicator, often found on the side of the car seat, shows if the seat is not sitting at the proper angle.
- Most forward-facing car seats install in an upright position.
Attachments
- Consult your vehicle owner’s manual to determine which seats have lower anchors and tethers for children (LATCH) and how to lock your seat belts.
- Install your car seat with either the lower anchors or the seat belt, not both at the same time.
- Route your seat belt or lower anchors through the correct belt path on the car seat.
- Push down on the car seat while tightening the seat belt or lower anchor straps.
- Make sure to lock seat belts, if using them. This may involve using a locking retractor, locking latch plate, built-in lock-off, or locking clip.
- Grasp the car seat next to the belt path with one hand and tug directly to the side—if it moves more than one inch from side to side, tighten the belt again. If you are unable to achieve a tight fit, try a different seating position or a different car seat.
- Forward-facing car seats add a tether strap, which significantly improves safety. Read and follow the tethering instructions in your manual when installing a forward-facing car seat.
Questions?
The Mary Bridge car seat program can help. To ask your questions or schedule a virtual car seat check contact us online or via email at [email protected].