The National Highway Traffic Safety Institute (NHTSA) has announced that September 21 through the 27^th is National Child Passenger Safety Week. The purpose is to get parents and caregivers to pause this week and insure that all car seats and booster seats are properly installed in their vehicles.

NHTSA uses the following guidelines to determine which seat is best for your child to include:

1. Keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds.

1. After children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).

1. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when the children are 4’9” tall).

1. When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall) they can use the adult seat belts in the back seat, if they fit properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).

NHTSA will working with local communities to provide experts who will check and/or install car seats for their citizens. Residents should check with their local government agency to determine if and where the seat inspections will take place.

I commend NHTSA for pushing this initiative. In this day and age with seatbelts, crash testing, and child safety seats, I still become involved with accidents in which a child is needlessly injured due to the lack of a proper carseat.

About the Law Offices of James W. Dodson

James W. Dodson, a Florida wrongful death attorney, has successfully handled Central Florida personal injury cases for over 20 years in Pinellas County, Pasco County, Manatee County, and throughout Florida.