Studer Community Institute

Child safety seat laws to change Jan. 1

December 28, 2014
/ Staff Reports
/ government

Beginning Jan. 1, the rules of the road will change for child safety seat use in Florida. At the first of the year, children ages 4 and 5 will be required to sit in a child safety seat or a booster seat rather than only being buckled in a seatbelt. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is reminding parents and guardians with young children of the upcoming change. “Safety belts save lives, but only when used and used correctly,” said Terry Rhodes, executive director of the Department. “Booster seats help elevate children to the height at which the safety belt will properly secure them.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45 percent for children ages 4–8 years when compared with seat belt use alone. In 2013, five children were killed and 150 injured in Florida traffic crashes as a result of improper or no child restraint use. To date, five children have been killed and 145 injured for the same reason in 2014. Many children may need booster seats beyond the age required by law, depending on the size of the child and where the seatbelt crosses the body. The following recommendations can help determine if your child, after age 5, is ready to wear a seatbelt without a booster seat:

The child is at least 4’9” tall;
The child can sit all the way back in the seat and bend knees at the edge of the seat;
The shoulder belt lays across the chest, not the neck;
The lap belt lays across the upper thighs, not the stomach.

Children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat of the vehicle whenever possible for additional safety.

www.safercar.gov has put together a guide for parents looking to purchase, install and use car seats for their babies and children.

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Child safety seat laws to change Jan. 1

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